Road to Somewhere
by ijustkeepswimming
Summary: Charlie is a police officer in Summer Bay, having been fostered by Pippa and Michael Ross when her past comes hurtling into her present...
1. Chapter 1

_Hi everyone. Welcome to the new story. I really hope you enjoy it. The basic idea for this one is that Charlie and Joey start off knowing each other as children. It flits between time frames so we'll see Charlie and Joey as kids, teenagers and adults. And it has a real mix of characters from present day to days gone by. I really hope you like it. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One**

**January 1991 (Age 9)**

Nine year old Charlie Buckton had hardly ever felt so scared before as she stepped into the play area of the children's home she had been forced to move into. She missed her Dad and was desperate to be with him but the social worker had insisted that he wasn't capable of taking care of her.

"Hey, it's a new girl!" said a bullish looking seven year old, striding up to her.

She was followed by a little gang of five other children, their ages mixed.

"Um… hi," Charlie managed.

One of them pinched her. It hurt. She touched her arm and tried not to show how upset she was. She frowned at the sea of faces and wondered why the social worker had thought she was better off in a place like this.

"Search her bag," the main girl instructed.

The others moved forward and yanked her little bag out of her hands.

"Hey!" Charlie protested.

At the same time, a voice from across the room said the same thing. The gang turned and looked behind them.

"Hey!" the voice said again.

Charlie watched as a girl of around her age, pretty with dark hair and brown eyes that made her look hard as nails approached. She was immediately frightened.

"Leave her alone," the girl demanded.

"Sorry, Joey," the main girl said, nudging another one who hastily gave Charlie her bag back. "We didn't realise she was your friend."

"Well, she is," the girl lied.

She and Charlie had never laid eye on each other before now.

"So leave her alone," the girl instructed.

The gang nodded, dropped her bag and hurried away, leaving Charlie and Joey to stand, face to face.

"Thank you," Charlie managed.

Joey smiled. Her eyes went from serious to soulful all of a sudden.

"It's cool," she said. "They like to pick on the newbies."

Charlie nodded. She didn't know what else to say.

"I'm Joey. Joey Collins."

They shook hands and spontaneously hugged.

"I'm Charlie Buckton," Charlie told her.

"What are you in for?" Joey asked.

"My Dad kept going out without me," Charlie admitted.

It wasn't something she liked to talk about but there was something that made Charlie trust this girl.

"What about you?" she asked.

"Mum drinks too much," Joey replied. "Would you like to hang out?"

Charlie beamed at her.

"I'd love to," she said.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Charlie groaned as she heard her watch beeping, demanding that she wake up. Sitting up, she glanced at the man beside her and wished she could remember his name. Clicking off the alarm, she slipped out of bed and fumbled about to try and find the clothes she had so carelessly discarded the night before.

"You going already?" he bed partner mumbled, sitting up against the pillows and yawning.

"Yeah, got to go to work," Charlie explained, cringing as she pulled on dirty underwear and tried to find her dress.

"What do you do again?" he asked.

He stretched, revealing a well-muscled chest. The words 'blood and sand' were tattooed across it.

"I'm a cop," she told him.

He smirked at her.

"You know, I'm not sure people like you should be doing things like you did last night," he said.

She smirked right back at him.

"What I do out of uniform is really nobody's business," she said, grateful to find a mirror on the wall so she could attempt to put her long, dark hair in some semblance of order.

"See you later, Charlie," he said when she turned to leave.

"See you…"

She tried and failed to pretend she wasn't searching for his name.

"Brax," he told her. "My name's Brax."

"I totally knew that!" Charlie lied, sailing out of the room.

* * *

Arriving at work, any hope Charlie had of sneaking in undetected was immediately thwarted. She walked straight into a big meeting.

"Nice of you to show up, Senior," Detective Nick Parrish remarked.

Folding his arms over his expensive suit, he looked distinctly unimpressed with her.

"Sorry," Charlie apologised. "Although, I'm not technically late."

"You're also not in uniform," Nick pointed out.

"Sorry," Charlie repeated. "I have a spare in my locker. I'll get right into it."

"She's used to being a dirty stop out," a fellow colleague, Constable Angelo Rosetta remarked, eliciting a laugh from a few people.

She elbowed him, knowing he was only trying to have fun, apologised to Nick again and headed on past the meeting and into the locker room, where she was glad she had thought to put a clean uniform and thankfully, fresh underwear. Spending the night with a random stranger wasn't something she usually did but she always liked to prepare for any eventuality.

* * *

**January 1991 (Age 9)**

"You don't really need to give me a tour," Charlie said.

She followed Joey round the large building anyway, grateful to have a friend.

"My Dad's going to come back for me really soon," she explained. "This is just a mistake."

Joey nodded as they walked back through the hallway and into the playroom. She hopped up onto a low cupboard. Charlie came to sit beside her.

"I said that when I first came here," she said.

"When was that?"

"When I was five," Joey told her.

Charlie eyed her with some horror.

"How… how old are you now?" she asked, fearing that her own assessment of her age was correct.

"Nine," Joey told her.

"Haven't you seen your Mum in all that time?"

"She's visited a couple of times," Joey said. "But no, not really. I think she forgot me."

Charlie looked miserable. Joey put her arm around her.

"I'm sure your Dad won't forget you though," she said brightly. "Mum… well, she never liked me that much to begin with."

"What about your Dad?" Charlie asked.

"I never met him," Joey replied. "What about your Mum?"

"She died," Charlie said. "We were a happy family but Mum died and then Dad kept going out and leaving me. And I tried to be so good and stuff but then I hurt myself and I cried and a neighbour came round and…"

She burst into tears. Joey hugged her a little tighter.

"Don't worry, Charlie," she said. "I'll look after you."

Charlie was surprised to find herself feeling comforted.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

"So, was he worth getting pulled up by Nick for?" Angelo asked Charlie as they headed to lunch together with another colleague, Constable Georgie Watson.

Charlie just shrugged. She wasn't entirely sure why she had gone off with that guy last night but it had seemed like a good idea at the time. And of course it had, in the drunken haze of too much beer.

"What was his name again?" Watson asked.

"Hell if I know!" Charlie laughed.

She frowned, trying to think but no, it was gone. She wasn't much interested in seeing him again.

"Hi, Ailsa," Watson greeted politely as they entered the Diner together.

It was a local hangout and the best place to eat in town. When Charlie had first arrived in Summer Bay as a teenager, the Bayside Diner was one of the first haunts she had been introduced to by her foster siblings, Sophie Simpson and Sally Fletcher. Sophie had been just a little older than her and become somewhat of an idol and Sally was younger and very sweet. Other foster siblings had come and gone under the happy house run by Pippa and Michael Ross but a few had stuck around and those were the ones that meant the most to Charlie.

"Hello," Ailsa Stewart greeted warmly from behind the counter.

She and her husband, Alf, were somewhat Summer Bay stalwarts and had always been friendly and kind. Ailsa ran the Diner with two other partners, Bobby Marshall and Leah Patterson.

Bobby was married to her second husband, Greg, who had come to find his son, Sam, whom Bobby had fostered. Bobby had once been the foster child of Pippa and her former husband, Tom, who had died of a heart attack at the wheel of his car, several years before she had met and married Michael.

Leah had moved to Summer Bay more recently and was married to a funny, young man called Vinnie. They had a son called VJ, which stood for Vinnie Junior and, still a baby, Charlie found him particularly adorable.

"What can I get you?" Ailsa asked, approaching their table.

The police officers all made their orders and she bustled into the kitchen to get them made.

"So, when are you going to wake up and realise I'm the guy for you?" Angelo asked with a grin that made Charlie guffaw.

"Maybe never?" she suggested.

Watson snorted. Angelo pretended to look hurt. He had hit on her so many times over the years that Charlie thought he'd probably die of shock if she actually said yes. Well, she had said yes once but that was mistake Charlie was not intending to repeat again. The truth was, Angelo meant a lot to her and the fact that he was a colleague and her housemate was an extra complication. She had always struggled to get close to people and had put relationships on the back burner ever since her first taste of heartbreak. It wasn't a feeling she wanted to revisit any time soon.

* * *

**January 1992 (Age 10)**

"I really thought he was going to come this year," Charlie said sadly.

She was sat in Joey's room at the home where her friend had been trying desperately to cheer her up. It was a tenth birthday and she had got a mere card from her father.

"Maybe he tried," Joey said, trying to cheer the situation up. "But maybe he was working on some big exciting case and he just couldn't get away."

Charlie smiled at her friend's efforts. Over the past year, the pair of them had become the very best of friends. They told each other everything and eagerly spent every possible second in each other's company. With Joey having been at the children's home for so long, she had earned her own room, while Charlie shared with three other girls. It was an impressive feat, considering not many of the staff seemed to like her.

"Maybe," Charlie sighed.

Despite how let down she felt, she still aspired to be a police officer like her father. She hoped one day that she would succeed and make Detective like he had then perhaps she could make him proud enough to remember her.

"Anyway, I got you something," Joey said.

Charlie looked surprised as Joey turned and dug around in a drawer. She presented her with an object, badly wrapped in magazine pages.

"It's… it's a bit dumb," Joey said shyly. "And I didn't have enough to buy you something so I made it instead. I hope… I hope you like it."

Charlie eagerly ripped open the packaging and found herself thrilled to be looking an original Joey Collins painting of the two of them in a home-made frame decorated with glitter and shells.

"I love it!" she exclaimed, pulling Joey into her arms.

Joey smiled and clung onto her, relieved that she had been pleased with the gift. But then, Charlie wasn't exactly the type to laugh in her face or anything if she had genuinely hated it. Over the last year, Joey had developed quite the crush on her friend. She thought she was the most beautiful and wonderful person on the planet.

"And I got something else too," Joey said.

She opened the cupboard beneath the drawer and presented Charlie with a slice of cake that had been on the pudding menu that evening for dinner.

"Do I want to ask how you got this?" Charlie wondered.

Joey had a bit of reputation for rehoming things.

"Best not," Joey grinned.

She then presented her with a small candle and put it on the cake, lighting it with a match.

"Where did you get those?" Charlie wondered.

Matches were naturally prohibited items.

"Smokers can be really careless," Joey told her. "Especially when they're staff and not meant to be sneaking out."

She gave her usual, cheeky grin. Charlie hugged her again. When they parted, Joey sang happy birthday. She already knew what Charlie was wishing as she blew the candle out.

* * *

_Next time… Adult Charlie enjoys a family meal while young Charlie and Joey spend Christmas together…_


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you everyone who read, reviewed and opted to follow this story – or a combination of all those things. I really appreciate it and I hope you continue to enjoy it. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Two**

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

After work, Charlie headed round for dinner with Pippa and Michael. Bobby, Sophie, Sally and another foster sister, Shannon Reed were also invited. The meal was in honour of their foster brother, Jack Wilson, who was back from the Navy for a few days to visit his family.

"Hey, Jack," Charlie greeted when she arrived, pulling him into a hug.

The pair had never really got on wonderfully and he had found himself in trouble on a regular basis, having enjoyed winding everyone up as much as he could. But like her other siblings, she had a strong love for him.

"Hey, Charlie," he greeted warmly. "It's great to see you again."

He was shorter than her and in good shape, thanks to such rigorous training. He had dark hair and a cheeky, boyish smile. He and Sally had been together briefly but Michael had been quick to put a stop to that – not wanting boyfriends and girlfriends under one roof. Since then, Sally had met and was engaged to a lovely Doctor named Flynn Saunders.

"And you, Jack," Charlie said sincerely.

She ventured further into the house where Pippa was cooking their meal.

"Hey, Pip," she greeted.

"Hi, Charlie," Pippa greeted warmly.

She always felt proud of Charlie, who had come to her as such a vulnerable fifteen year old and now, at thirty, was a strong, capable police officer, charging up the ranks quickly. She had certainly overcome a lot to get where she was today.

"I brought a bottle," Charlie said, extracting a bottle of white wine from her bag.

"Oh, thanks, darling," Pippa said warmly, calling Michael to come and open it. "That'll go perfectly with dinner."

* * *

**December 1992 (Age 10)**

Christmas Day hadn't been quite as awful as Charlie had anticipated. But then, Joey always made her world a better place. They'd sat next to each other for Christmas dinner and spent time playing with their friends. Now, with play time running out, they were in Joey's room, chatting.

"Sorry I couldn't get you the present I wanted to get you," Joey ventured.

The ten year olds were sitting cross legged on the floor opposite each other, playing cards.

"What are you talking about?" Charlie wondered. "The present you got me was lovely."

Earlier in the day, Charlie had received a handmade necklace, which she had put on immediately. It was a bottle top that she had painted into the yin and yang design, tied to a shoelace. Access to pocket money was slim so both girls had had to rely on their own creative skills.

"I wanted to get you something else," Joey admitted. "I tried, Charlie. I really did."

"What did you want to get me?" Charlie asked.

"I asked if I could swap rooms with one of the girls in your dorm," Joey explained. "So that I could be there when you had your nightmares."

A few months ago, Charlie had confided in Joey that each night, she was having bad dreams about something terrible and violent happening to her.

"Mrs John wouldn't let me," Joey said glumly. "I even asked if she could put your bed in my room but it didn't work. I'm sorry."

Charlie reached out and held her hand.

"I'm touched that you even tried," she said. "Thank you."

"I don't like to think of you all frightened and alone," Joey said. "I want to protect you."

"You have no idea how much easier you make my life, Joey," Charlie replied. "No idea."

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

"So, where's Tamara tonight, Sophie?" Jack asked as the family tucked into their meal.

Tamara was Sophie's teenage daughter. At sixteen, Sophie had got pregnant to an older man called David. He had been a teacher at the local high school and their relationship had caused quite the stir. Unfortunately, he had died in a car crash before anyone had even known the baby existed.

"Oh, she and Sam are having a DVD night," Sophie said.

Sam was Bobby's foster son of the same age. They had been friends for a lifetime and Bobby was now married to Sam's biological father, Greg. She had been through a lot of romantic hardship in her life, including a failed marriage to the man everybody thought was her soul mate, Frank Mogan. He had gone off to America with Alf's daughter, Roo Stewart and were barely heard of now. Personally, now that Charlie had found a real home, she couldn't imagine leaving Summer Bay behind her. She hoped that in years to come, she would be considered a stalwart like Pippa, Alf, Ailsa and the local headmaster, Donald Fisher, who had turned out to be Bobby's natural father.

"Young love!" Bobby joked.

"So, when are you going to settle down and start popping kids out?" Jack bluntly asked Charlie.

She was thirty now but had no plans whatsoever to get married or start a family.

"When I'm ready," she replied rather curtly.

"Surely your biological clock is ticking a bit," he pressed. "You never seem to have a boyfriend."

"I haven't found 'the one' yet," Charlie told him, although it wasn't true.

She had met 'the one' a long time ago but alas, it hadn't worked out. And that was something she hadn't yet healed from.

"Hey, you haven't turned gay, have you?" he joked.

"You don't 'turn gay'!" Shannon snapped.

Charlie chuckled, preparing herself for her sister to get on her high horse.

"You did," Jack pointed out.

"I did not!"

"So, you went through hundreds of men and then settled with Mandy," Jack said, enjoying, as ever, the opportunity to wind everyone up.

"I did not go through hundreds of men!" Shannon protested before childishly turning to her parents for help.

"I think that's enough now," Michael decided.

Jack ignored the warning tone in his voice.

"First there was Curtis your 'brother', then Eric the Violent, oh and you had that crush on poor Shane, then Alex, Kye…"

He shook his head in disbelief.

"And now you're a vagetarian!"

"Okay, that's enough now!" Pippa snapped. "Do you have to wind all the girls up as soon as you get home, Jack?"

"I just wanted to see if they missed me!" Jack protested.

"We didn't," all the girls chorused.

* * *

_Next time… younger Charlie refuses to heed some advice and she and Joey get caught out…_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**August 1995 (Age 13)**

Charlie and Joey arrived home from school and parted ways temporarily to drop their books off to their rooms. All the kids were allowed an hour to do what they liked before dinner and then they had to knuckle down and do their homework under supervision.

"Charlie?" one of the staff, Mrs John called.

The teenager turned and walked towards her, wondering what she wanted. It was usually Joey that the adults were calling and it was usually to tell her off for something.

"Yes?" she asked politely.

Of the two, she had always been seen as the 'good' one.

"I just… Can I offer you some advice?"

Charlie was puzzled but nodded.

"You've got a lot going for you," Mrs John said. "You're very intelligent and you have ambition. You're certainly very pretty and very kind. Don't you think maybe if you… mixed in better circles, you might do a bit better in life?"

Charlie continued to look confused. The woman wondered if she was actually that intelligent after all.

"Do you understand what I'm saying to you?" she asked.

"No," Charlie admitted.

"You might… you might do better if you chose better friends," Mrs John suggested.

"But I have the best friend ever," Charlie replied, thinking of Joey.

Mrs John sighed. She doubted she was going to get through to her. Letting it go, she sent the child away.

* * *

"Charlie, she was telling you to stop being my friend," Joey explained.

The pair had met up and gone to sit in the large garden, grabbing the swing bench before anyone else too it. They both found the spot peaceful.

"Why would she do that?" Charlie wondered.

"Because she thinks you're better off without me," Joey told her.

"How on earth could I ever be better off without you?" Charlie asked incredulously.

Joey smiled and took her hand.

"Do you really feel that way?" she asked. "Because if… if you did want to leave me or something…"

Charlie took her other hand and looked into her eyes.

"You're the best thing that has ever happened to me," she said sincerely. "I am never ever going to let you go."

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

"So, is there anyone on the horizon?" Shannon asked as she and Charlie walked partway home with each other.

Part of Charlie was a little jealous that her sister got to go home to such a loving, happy home with Mandy. Shannon was working as a journalist for the local newspaper while Mandy was a published novelist and often ran lectures and seminars around the country.

"No," Charlie sighed but not unhappily. "Nobody."

"Don't you get lonely?" Shannon asked.

She resented Jack for it but his comments that night had hit a nerve. She had flung herself from relationship to relationship since she had been a teenager.

"Not really," Charlie said brightly. "I've got my work, my friends…"

She slung an arm around Shannon's shoulder.

"My family."

Shannon giggled.

"You certainly have," she agreed.

* * *

That night, Charlie lay in her bed in the room of the house she shared with Watson and Angelo. With them being her colleagues and her friends and generally sharing the same shift patterns, it had made sense for them to live together. It had been a good few years and so far, the arrangement had worked well.

In bed, she sighed and fidgeted, unable to get to sleep. Groaning, she lay there for several moments. The digital clock across the room never seemed to change. There was one person on her mind, someone she tried not to think about all that often. But tonight, after all that talk of 'the one', she couldn't help it.

Heaving herself out of bed, Charlie clicked the light on and knelt on the floor. She dug around in a drawer and found the box she was looking for. In it was a scrapbook of drawings Joey had done for her, the painting in a frame that had been a birthday present and the necklace made out of a bottle top. She smiled sadly at the items, flicking through cards and letters that Joey had written her over the years. She felt sad at all they had lost.

* * *

**December 1997 (Age 15)**

Charlie let herself in Joey's room eagerly after school, the same way she always did. Immediately, the fifteen year olds' melted into each other's arms. Charlie closed her eyes as Joey's lips sought hers and she didn't think there was a more perfect feeling in the world.

"I missed you," Joey breathed.

"You saw me five minutes ago!" Charlie laughed.

"Five minutes too long!" Joey grinned.

She took Charlie by the hand and they tumbled onto the bed together.

"I can't wait till next month," Charlie grinned shyly.

The following January, two weeks apart, both girls would be turning sixteen and they planned to take their relationship to the next level. Their first kiss had been at the age of thirteen and they had been deeply, albeit secretly committed to each other all that time. They had been to hell and back but at least they had done it together.

"Me neither," Joey grinned, kissing her again.

Drawing away, she frowned.

"You don't mind waiting, do you?" she checked. "I just… I want to do things right."

Charlie smiled and stroked her hair, gazing into her eyes.

"I want it to be perfect too," she said. "I'm happy to wait. I'd wait forever if that's what it took."

"Well, I hope it doesn't!" Joey smirked.

They kissed again. They were interrupted by Mrs John throwing open the door.

* * *

_Next time… younger Charlie and Joey's dreams are shattered when they are forced to separate while adult Charlie and her team begin a murder investigation…_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Charlie went for a run before work the following morning. It was a ritual that was stuck fast in her life. She loved the feel of the sand beneath her feet, the sound of the sea and a breeze in her face. It made her feel free.

She'd dreamt about Joey the night before. In all honesty, she had dreamt about her most nights since the fateful day they had parted. And her dreams were always full of deep regret.

"Hey, Charlie!" a man called.

She paused, watching him set his surf board down in the sand. She recognised him as the man she'd slept with the night before last but his name escaped her.  
"Hey…" she said. "Um… hey."

"Brax," the man said.

"I totally knew that," Charlie lied.

He grinned in amusement.

"So, how would you like to go out again sometime?" he asked.

She looked him up and down, very aware that she should be wildly attracted to him. But she wasn't. And it seemed stupid to pretend.

"I don't think so," she said apologetically.

"Why?" he asked. "We had tonnes in common."

"We did?"

"I liked you lots. You liked me lots," he said. "_I _like me lots."

She laughed but turned him down anyway.

"Your loss!" he called after her as she jogged on.

"See you around!" she called back.

* * *

**December 1997 (Age 15)**

Charlie wept unashamedly as she packed her things, ready to leave the children's home she'd been living in for years. After all that time of not getting placed anyway, the home had conveniently found a foster family for her. She did not want to go.

"Come on," Mrs John hurried her.

"I'm just checking that I haven't forgotten anything," she snapped.

She didn't much care for manners anymore. They were deliberately taking her away from Joey and she hated them for it.

"Okay, you're done," Mrs John snapped back.

Charlie surveyed her dorm sadly and with no reason to stay, trudged out into the hallway and down the stairs to meet her new 'family'.

Arriving down in the foyer, Mrs John introduced her to Pippa and Michael Ross. They both seemed pleasant and were very friendly as they shook her hand but Charlie didn't care. These were the people that were going to take her away from the girl she loved. She couldn't forgive them for it.

"Well, should we be going?" Michael said brightly when the conversation dwindled.

"But…" Charlie said.

She looked around for Joey but Mrs John curtly informed her that she wasn't coming. Tears welled in her eyes all over again.

"Is there someone you want to say goodbye to, sweetheart?" Pippa asked gently. "Because we can wait."

"There's no one," Mrs John interrupted coldly.

"Are you sure?"

Mrs John confirmed that she was sure. Charlie silently and sullenly followed them out towards the front door.

"Charlie!" bellowed a voice.

Charlie turned quickly to find Joey outrunning another member of staff. Without hesitating, Charlie hurried back and flung her arms around her. Pippa and Michael looked on in confusion as both members of staff tried to prise the girls apart.

"Charlie, I love you," Joey said desperately.

"I love you too," Charlie insisted. "And I'll write to you every day. And it's only a couple of years until we can be together again."

Joey nodded, clinging to her love for all she was worth. Eventually, they were torn apart and Mrs John roughly pushed Charlie back down the hall and towards her new life.

"Joey!" Charlie sobbed.

She heard her call her name back but Mrs John firmly escorted her to the car. Pippa and Michael both looked bemused and uncertain. Charlie sat in the back, longing for Joey to appear, which she did a few moments later. They waved until they could no longer see each other.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Charlie showered and changed into her uniform, ready to head to work with Angelo and Watson. She was relieved to have got everything in order and be totally on time, unlike the day before. That really had been classy.

"Glad you're here," Nick said by way of greeting when the threesome arrived.

"What's up?" Charlie wondered.

"Potentially big case," he explained. "I need a team down to a house in Mangrove River. There's been a murder."

* * *

**June 1996 (Age 14)**

"Tell me again how life's going to be for us," Joey requested.

It was after school and as usual the secret couple were enjoying spending their free time snuggling in Joey's room.

"Oh, it's going to be perfect," Charlie said dreamily. "We are going to be so, so happy."

Joey grinned, feeling warm and safe in her girlfriend's embrace.

"The happiest two people could ever be," Charlie said. "We're going to get out of here when we're eighteen and move to the city. I'm going to train as a cop and you're going to work part time and build up your own business for the rest of the day."

Joey smiled. She wasn't entirely sure on that part. She didn't have as much faith in her artwork and creativity as Charlie seemed to. But she was happy to hope.

"And we're going to live in this really cool apartment with a balcony and an awesome view," Charlie continued happily. "I'm going to move really quickly up the ranks and you're going to get rich and famous with all your work."

"And will we get married?" Joey asked, already knowing the answer.

"You bet!" Charlie enthused. "We'll elope and get married somewhere really exotic. It'll be the best wedding ever. And then when we're ready, we'll have some kids and they will never ever know what it feels like to be lonely or unloved. We'll always be there for them and we'll never let them down."

"Not like our parents," Joey said sadly.

"Nothing like them," Charlie agreed. "Although, the more I think about it, the more I'm glad of what happened with my Dad."

Joey jolted a little and stared at her.

"Glad?" she asked incredulously.

"If he'd been a good Dad, I might never have met you," Charlie explained as Joey settled back against her. "And I don't think my life would be worth anything without you."

"Well, I'm glad too, you know, about my Mum," Joey said. "I'd go through that a hundred times if it means I get to spend my life with you."

They kissed tenderly.

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Nick, Charlie, Watson and Angelo arrived at the scene. The door was open and a dead man lay on the floor. He was on his back with his jeans and underwear around his ankles. His penis lay limp, sheathed with a condom. A pool of blood gathered at his head.

"Ouch," Angelo remarked, surveying the scene.

"Blood spatter on the walls suggest that he was standing when he got his head injury," Nick said, stepping carefully closer. "He didn't die from hitting the floor."

The coroner arrived. The police officers stepped back to allow her to work.

"Do we have a time of death?" Nick asked.

"About three hours ago," the coroner, Judy Soothers, stated. "Cause of death is a head injury."

Nick nodded.

"We'll work the scene and then hopefully this poor guy can be sent down to you with some dignity," he said.

Angelo leant over and carefully removed the condom.

"Poor guy," he said. "He didn't even get laid before he died."

"And who says that he was innocent?" Charlie snapped.

Angelo held his hands up in defence.

"I was just saying!" he said.

"Well, let's get all the facts first," Charlie told him.

"Yes, let's," Nick said grimly.

"Guys," Watson called.

All three, plus Judy offered their full attention.

"There was someone else here," Watson said, studying another pool of splattered blood.

"Well, obviously," Angelo remarked as if she was stupid.

She glared at him. He privately vowed to stay silent. He'd somehow managed to piss both girls off and it was barely nine o'clock.

"I mean someone else got hurt," Watson said. "This mess isn't consistent with that guy's injuries. There's someone else out there and they could be in a lot of trouble."

* * *

Across town, Flynn frowned to find a regular patient back in the emergency department. She was battered worse than she ever had been before and wasn't conscious. Some man had dumped her at the doors and run. He just hoped that he could save her.

* * *

_Next time… Young Charlie endures her first Christmas without Joey, who makes a new friend, while older Charlie comes face to face with Joey again…_


	5. Chapter 5

_Sorry for my absence over the weekend. It was the third anniversary of my father's death so everything was a bit hectic and emotional but I hope you enjoy the chapter. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Five**

**December 1997 (Age 15)**

It was one of the worst Christmas Days of Charlie's life. The only one that had been worse was the year her mother had died. But for every one since, she had been with Joey and whenever she'd been with her, she had been happy.

But now, although she was with a perfectly nice family, none of them were Joey and she hadn't heard from her since they had been parted. She missed her with every inch of her being and was so close, every day, to running away and finding her again.

Now, the house was overcrowded and from what Charlie could gather, Pippa and Michael (and apparently her first, late husband, Tom) had fostered a lot of kids over the years. On a day to day basis, she lived with Pippa, Michael, Sophie, Fin, Damian and Sally. But right now, they were hosting dinner for so many people that, for want of the lack of Joey, it almost felt like living in the home. Pippa was cooking for Steven, who had apparently moved away to go to University, Carly and her husband Ben who was in the army and Bobby, her husband, Greg and their son, Sam. Charlie couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Pippa asked quietly, coming to sit beside her on the stairs.

Charlie just shrugged. She had only been with the Ross family for a couple of weeks and she was very much struggling to adjust.

"Are you missing your friend?"

Charlie nodded with enthusiasm. Pippa gently put her arm around her.

"We could always phone her," she suggested.

Charlie looked up sharply, her eyes wide.

"Really?" she asked.

She had written her seven letters so far but not yet got anything in return.

"I don't see why not," Pippa said. "Would you like to do it now?"

"Yes, please!" Charlie said eagerly, leaping to her feet.

* * *

**January 1998 (Age 16)**

Joey sat mutely in the corner of the 'play' room. At sixteen, she was beyond that now but she secretly appreciated just being in a room with other people, even though she wasn't interacting and just working quietly on her homework instead.

It had been her birthday yesterday and Charlie hadn't so much as sent her a card. And she couldn't send her one in a couple of days either because she didn't know where she was. She missed her terribly but she was angry too, hurt that she didn't care enough to keep in touch after all their promises and plans for the future.

She looked up when she heard some sort of argument break out. She watched as the usual bullies, the ones who had been horrible to Charlie and apparently not grown up, picked on a new boy she hadn't seen before.

"Hey, Joey, aren't you going to protect this one?" one of the girls yelled, noticing her watching.

Joey sighed, thinking of Charlie. She didn't want to help. She didn't want to interact with anybody else. She didn't want to exist. But she watched them shove the boy around and ransack his bag. Sighing, she hauled herself up and marched over.

"Leave him alone," she said with as much conviction as she could muster.

"What are you going to do about it?" the leader of the gang demanded, pushing the blonde boy over.

Joey punched her in the face. She and the newcomer quickly made their escape.

* * *

Although she still missed Joey terribly, Charlie was starting to settle into her new way of life. She liked Pippa and Michael and it felt quite nice to have actual parents after so long. She shared a room with Sophie, who was pregnant and expecting her baby in a few months. When the little girl was born, Charlie was meant to be moving in with her younger 'sister', Sally to give mother and child some space.

"Are you excited about the baby?" she asked as she and seventeen year old Sophie walked to school together.

"Yeah," Sophie replied. "I'm scared at well though."

"How did you get pregnant?" Charlie wondered, immediately cringing at such a stupid pregnant.

"Well, you see, when a boy and a girl love each other…" Sophie teased good naturedly.

Charlie laughed shyly.

"I meant, who's the father?" she explained. "Is he supporting you or…?"

Sophie sighed.

"The father is a lovely man called David," she explained. "We adored each other and despite protestations from everyone else because he was older than me, we were meant to be together forever. But he died in a car crash so now I have to raise the baby on my own."

"I'm so sorry," Charlie said sympathetically, her voice catching with emotion.

Sophie smiled sadly but with resolve.

"I miss him every day," she said. "But at least I know I have support with raising our little girl. I couldn't have asked to come to a better family than this."

Charlie smiled back at her.

"I know you're struggling," Sophie ventured. "But this is a good place and I think you'll be happy here with us, Charlie."

"I know," Charlie said softly. "I like everyone a lot. I just…"

"Do you miss someone?" Sophie asked.

"Yeah," Charlie sighed. "But I don't think they love me anymore."

* * *

**February 1994 (Age 14)**

Charlie broke the rules and stole into Joey's room in the middle of the night. She knew she would get into deep trouble if she got caught but she didn't care. She needed her best friend and nothing else mattered.

"Charlie!" Joey said, sitting up in bed where she had been secretly fretting about her friend's well-being. "Are you okay?"

The fourteen year old burst into tears and climbed in beneath the blankets. Joey immediately reached out and held her, kissing her head and begging her to tell her what was wrong.

"That night…" Charlie wept.

"At the youth club?" Joey asked.

Charlie nodded, crying harder. She had disappeared at the youth club for about half an hour and come back distraught and wanting to go home. Since then, she had been a mess but hadn't seemed able to talk about anything.

"What happened, Charlie?"

"That man…"

"Grant," Joey confirmed.

Charlie nodded again. Grant Bledcoe was in his twenties and the leader of their group.

"What did he do?" Joey wondered.

"He made me… you know," Charlie wept.

Joey swallowed uncomfortably.

"Made you…?"

"Made me do it with him," Charlie sobbed. "And now I don't know what to do."

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Leaving Angelo and Watson at the scene, Charlie and Nick headed over to the hospital. Having established that someone else had been injured at the scene as well as the as yet unidentified dead man, they figured that was the best place to start.

"Hi, Flynn," Nick greeted when they reached the hospital.

"Oh dear," the Doctor said. "It's never good when you're here in uniform!"

Nick chuckled but got right to the point.

"Has anyone been brought in with severe bleeding injuries?" he asked. "This morning?"

"Uh… only a regular domestic abuse patient," Flynn said. "But although her injuries are worse than normal, it's nothing more than I'd expect."

"Is that all?" Nick asked. "Nobody else?"

"Nope," Flynn said.

"Maybe we should go and see this girl anyway?" Charlie suggested to her boss.

"Yeah," Nick agreed.

"You won't get much out of her," Flynn told them. "She's still unconscious."

Charlie flinched. She always felt sad for the victims they encountered on a daily basis.

"Could we have permission to check her injuries?" Nick asked. "Just to see if they match what we think might have happened?"

"Sure," Flynn said, instructing them to follow him into a side room.

There, Charlie's breath caught in her throat. Lying in the bed, unconscious and beaten black and blue, was the love of her life, Joey Collins.

* * *

_Next time… __Young Charlie and Joey settle into their new friendships, even younger Charlie has to come to a big decision and adult Charlie is shocked to see the state of adult Joey…_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**January 1998 (Age 16)**

Charlie was scared on her first day at her new school, although Sophie, Finlay and Damian had been kind enough to walk in with her and had promised to look out for her in the day. Sophie was a year above her and Fin and Damian were two years below so she was having to deal with actual classes on her own. It was frightening and she was always so used to having Joey by her side. She wasn't sure she had quite figured out how to survive by herself.

"Hey, Charlie, are you ready for lunch?" Sophie asked, finding Charlie at her locker, halfway through the day.

"Um… yeah," Charlie said uncertainly. "Sure?"

She was a little overwhelmed at the amount of people that seemed to be coming to lunch.

"Oh, this is Blake Dean," Sophie said, realising.

She pointed at a sweet looking boy with floppy hair and sadness in his eyes.

"And this is Shane Parrish," Sophie said, pointing to the next person in the small crowd that had come to collect Charlie.

"Yeah, um, I think I've seen you around the house?" Charlie said, hoping she didn't sound stupid.

"Yeah, he's always hanging around," Sophie said in mock complaint.

"Yep," Fin agreed. "Always getting Damian into trouble."

"Hey!" Shane protested, laughing. "I'm a good boy!"

"Yeah, right," Fin said, poking him in the ribs.

Charlie chuckled as she followed the squabbling group out of the school.

* * *

Several hours away, Joey and her new friend, Aden Jeffries were not impressed at their return to school. Since she had rescued him from the bullies, they had been inseparable but it didn't mean that Joey missed Charlie any less. She was the first thing she thought about when she woke up and the last thing she thought about when she went to sleep. She also filled every second in between. But at this rate, she would never see her again. Joey didn't think she had ever felt so hopeless before.

"Are you wondering what she's doing?" Aden asked as they headed out for lunch together.

"How did you guess?" Joey tried to joke.

It fell flat.

"She's probably off having a great time," she said bitterly. "I bet she's found loads of new friends, maybe a girlfriend or a boyfriend…"

She pulled a face somewhere between disgust and distress.

"She probably doesn't even remember who I am," she sighed.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Charlie lurched forward towards the bed. She touched the patient's seemingly lifeless hand and gazed into her face.

"Joey?" she said, almost disbelieving.

"Do you know her, Senior?" Nick asked, still in the doorway with Flynn.

Charlie nodded, cursing the tears in her eyes.

"We grew up together," she explained. "Before Pippa and Michael took me in."

Nick nodded and stepped further into the room.

"What's her name?"

"Joanne Collins," Charlie said. "She was born 29th January 1982."

Nick nodded and moved to stand on the other side of the bed.

"Why are you investigating her?" Flynn asked, a little protective of his patient.

Charlie turned back to him but didn't let go of Joey's hand.

"We're investigating what happened to her," she explained. "We think she might have come here from a crime scene Angelo and Watson are dealing with."

Flynn nodded.

"Well, someone different did bring her in this time," he ventured. "Someone I haven't seen before."

"Did you get a name?" Nick asked. "Description?"

"No name," Flynn said. "Young, blonde, broad, male."

Nick made notes in his pocket book. Charlie turned worriedly back to Joey, willing her to wake up.

"She'll probably be unconscious for a while," he said. "She has a pretty severe head injury. But we're keeping a very close eye on her. She'll be okay."

Charlie nodded, her heart pounding so hard she thought it might break out of her chest.

"What do you think happened to her?" she asked quietly.

"Well, like I say, she's been in here a lot recently for suspected domestic violence injuries," Flynn explained. "Her girlfriend usually brings her in, gets her treated and…"

"And you didn't think to tell us what was going on?" Charlie interrupted, snapping at him.

"You know I can't report anything without breaking confidentiality," Flynn replied easily. "She and her girlfriend have always expressly refused to get help for any of their problems."

"Who is this girlfriend?" Charlie asked a little bitterly.

With the hand that wasn't holding onto Joey's, she wiped her eyes.

"Her name's Hayley but I've never had a surname," Flynn said. "I can give you a description though."

* * *

**November 1996 (Age 14)**

"Joey, what am I meant to do?" Charlie asked fearfully.

She was sat in her hospital bed, frightened and exhausted, having just given birth to a baby girl. Joey had been beside her the whole time and both girls had refused to allow the hospital to call anyone for them.

"I don't know," Joey admitted, feeling as lost as her friend.

"They're going to call the home, aren't they?" Charlie asked anxiously.

"I think so," Joey said. "We're in care. They'll be able to trace us pretty quickly. These kinds of places have a hotline to social services and stuff."

She sighed, chewing her lip as they waited for the nurse to bring the baby back.

"We can't let them do that," Charlie fretted. "We'll get into trouble."

Joey nodded, also terrified.

"I can't keep her, can I?" Charlie realised, her world suddenly crumbling down around her.

Joey held on tighter to her hand.

"If we bring her back then they'll just take her off me," Charlie continued, her voice broken with grief. "Unless we go on the run or something… I won't be able to keep her."

Joey looked down at their joined hands.

"I would go on the run with you if that's what you wanted to do," she said honestly.

"Really?"

"I'd do anything for you, Charlie."

They looked at each other. Charlie knew that she meant it. But she also knew that it would ruin her life. It was one thing to ruin her own but another to ruin Joey's, Joey who she loved with all her heart. Not to mention the baby.

"We don't know how to look after a baby," she said uncertainly.

"We can learn," Joey replied. "And I have some pocket money. We can buy some nappies or… whatever."

She sighed, agreeing that they had no idea how to look after a child.

"We can't look after her like that," Charlie said, wiping her eyes. "She needs… she needs a proper home. She needs someone who knows how to be a Mum and can afford everything…"

She wiped her eyes and detached herself from the monitor the nurse had hooked her up to.

"We need to go," she said.

Joey looked startled.

"Are you sure?" she said. "I mean, maybe Mrs John would let us keep…"

Charlie shook her head but let out a sob.

"There's no way," she said. "We have to…"

Joey nodded solemnly and helped her to her feet.

"Have you got a pen and paper?" she asked suddenly, very aware that someone could come back any minute.

"Um…"

Joey dug around in her pockets. She found an old bus ticket. Charlie seized the pen attached to her anonymous medical chart. Charlie scribbled on the bus ticket and left it on the bed. Then the two girls ran.

A nurse returned three minutes later, alarmed to find the girls gone. On the bed was a single note: _Please call her Ruby_.

* * *

_Next time… Younger Charlie gets hassle for her friendship with Blake, even younger Charlie and Joey share their first kiss and Nick is worried about adult Charlie's ability to work on the case…_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

**February 1998 (Age 16)**

It was lunch time and Charlie had eagerly planned to go to lunch with Blake. She missed Joey with all her heart and not a day passed when she didn't think of her. But she was relieved to have at least ended up in a decent place with decent friends around her.

Pippa and Michael were exceptional parents and Charlie wondered how they managed lives and jobs and so many kids. But they did and she was pleased about that.

Sophie had proved to be a wonderful friend and sister, older and full of guidance. She liked Fin and Damian and even though he hit on her every day, she also liked Shane. But Sophie aside, Blake was her favourite. She enjoyed his company and found it easy and without pressure.

"Hey, you!" said a sharp, female voice.

Charlie turned in time to get punched in the face. She cried out in shock and pain and the wind was knocked out of her when she was slammed up against the row of lockers behind her.

"We don't like what you're doing with Blake!" the girl announced.

Charlie vaguely recognised her from classes and corridors but she had never spoken to the girl. She had no idea who she was or what her problem was.

"What…?"

Charlie groaned as she was kneed in the stomach. She doubled over but didn't fight back. She longed for Joey to rescue her, the way she always had before.

"Leave him alone!" the girl, with her rabble of bullies behind her, said.

"What the hell is going on?" Blake demanded, rushing up to the group and taking Charlie's arm, checking that she was okay.

"She's trying to sleep with you!" the girl declared.

Charlie stood up straighter, angry.

"That's not true!" she insisted.

"You're always hanging around him!" the girl accused.

"Because he's my friend!" Charlie protested. "Nothing else!"

"I don't believe you…" the girl said, her voice a little quieter.

"This conversation's over," Blake said, leading Charlie away and carrying her back for her. "I can't believe you'd bash someone like that!"

* * *

Joey and Aden were on their lunch break from school and headed to the park, their usual haunt. They were both loners and it was comforting to be able to stick together.

"Maybe there's a way to find her address," Aden suggested.

As usual, Charlie was the only thing on Joey's mind.

"How?" Joey asked, very open to all possibilities.

"I don't know," Aden said vaguely. "I mean, they must have files or something. In the office?"

"Mrs John will kill us if she finds us breaking in," Joey pointed out.

Aden nodded glumly and apologised.

"So, I think it's a great idea," Joey added.

He laughed at her devilish grin. They began to make a plan.

* * *

Sitting on the beach, Blake kept his arm around Charlie, who was furious with herself for crying.

"I just don't understand why they'd do that me," she said, wiping her eyes and sniffing. "I don't even know who they are."

"They're bullies," Blake said. "We'll just keep away from them, okay? Or we could go and tell Flathead…"

"No!" Charlie protested quickly, although she couldn't help but chuckle at the use of their head teacher's nickname.

But she had learned a long time ago never to trust people in authority.

"Okay," Blake said softly.

He didn't know Charlie all that well but he liked her a lot and he worried about the life she had come from, especially considering she never talked about it.

"Why did they attack me?" Charlie wondered. "What's their problem?"

"They're just stupid girls," Blake told her.

"But what's wrong with me wanting to be friends with you?"

"I think maybe they thought you were moving in on me or something," he said awkwardly. "And… well, my last girlfriend… Meg… she…"

"She died," Charlie said softly. "I know. I heard."

Blake nodded and looked stricken.

"It was only a couple of months ago," he explained. "Maybe they think I'm interested in you or… But I'm not. No offence."

"I'm not interested in you either," Charlie replied. "No offence."

They both laughed.

"I don't mean this to sound awful but one of the reasons I feel safe with you is because I know you wouldn't try anything with me," Charlie said awkwardly. "Sorry."

Blake smiled.

"That's cool," he said. "I'm glad you feel safe with me, Charlie. And don't worry about those girls. We'll deal with them. A sharp tongue lashing from Sophie should do the trick."

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Charlie was reluctant to leave Joey's side but she had work to do and Flynn had advised that she would be unconscious for a while. She and Nick returned to the police station where Angelo was just hanging up the phone.

"We've got an ID on the body," he announced as they and Watson gathered around him.

"Who is he?" Nick asked, concerned by how quiet Charlie had been since the hospital.

"His name is Robert Cruze according to DNA," Angelo revealed. "He's on the system for a handful of things but he's never been charged with anything."

"What kinds of things?" Charlie wondered quietly.

Her mind was reeling at seeing Joey again, especially in the state she was. She needed to know if she was connected to their crime scene.

"Suspected rape, a couple of driving offences, the odd assault," Angelo said grimly.

Charlie heart lurched at the thought that Joey might have been around someone like that.

"We found part of a fingernail at the scene," Angelo continued. "So we bagged it and hopefully we can identify the owner. My suggestion would be some sort of fight or argument that escalated. Someone killed the guy and ran."

"I don't suppose you noticed the girl's fingers in the hospital?" Nick asked.

Charlie looked stricken.

"No," she said. "And she'd never do anything like that anyway."

"Who?" Watson wondered.

"What girl?" Angelo asked at the same time.

"We have an unconscious woman at the hospital that could possibly be connected to the scene," Nick said. "We need her to wake up and then we can take some samples. See if her blood matches."

Angelo nodded.

"Do you know her, Charlie?" Watson asked.

"I used to," Charlie confirmed before heading off into her office.

* * *

**February 1998 (Age 16)**

"Have I mentioned that you're never going to amount to anything in your life?" Mrs John demanded.

Joey had been caught trying to break into her office in the middle of the night. Aden had fortunately escaped but Joey had been retained and forced to explain herself.

"I just wanted Charlie's address," Joey told her.

"Doesn't the fact that she hasn't bothered to keep in touch since she left tell you anything or are you really that stupid?" Mrs John snapped. "That girl is going places. She was always going to leave you. I'm just glad she did before you dragged her too far down to your level. Now get to bed while I figure out what to do with you."

Joey gritted her teeth, trying not to show how much her guardian's words hurt. She hurried off to her room and wept.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Charlie couldn't stop picturing Joey lying in her hospital bed. She stared at the computer in front of her, wondering how she was meant to concentrate. All she wanted was to go to the hospital to be with her, to be waiting for her when she woke up.

Sighing heavily, she pulled up the police database and typed in her ex-girlfriend's details. She had committed no crimes and wasn't present. They had no DNA or fingerprints or anything to formally identify her.

_Don't think about her as if she's dead_, Charlie warned herself. _Don't think about it as if it's too late_.

"Charlie, are you okay?" Nick asked, knocking and entering.

Charlie looked up sharply and tried to smile. It looked more like a wince.

"I'm fine," she lied.

He shut the door and sat opposite her.

"Do you want to tell me who that girl is?" Nick asked,

_Not really_, Charlie thought to herself but she knew it wasn't optional.

"We grew up in care together," she explained. "Before I moved here. We were in a childrens home."

Nick nodded.

"And you were… close?" he probed.

"She's the best thing that ever happened to me," Charlie said, hoping not to have to go into too much detail.

"But you didn't keep in touch?"

"No," she said softly. "She didn't want to. I never knew why."

"Maybe she felt like you were leaving her behind?" Nick suggested.

Charlie nodded.

"Maybe," she agreed.

"Charlie, are you able to work in this case or do I need to swap you for another member of the team?" Nick asked, getting right to the point.

"I can work on it," Charlie said quickly. "I need to. I need to help her."

She frowned when she realised she had said exactly the wrong thing.

"But I do understand that I need to be impartial," she corrected herself quickly. "I need to understand that anyone could be responsible for Cruze's death."

Nick nodded and stood.

"That's what I wanted to hear," he told her, striding back out of the room.

* * *

**November 1996 (Age 14)**

Charlie couldn't bear to sleep in her own room that night. Ignoring the fact that if caught, she could get into a lot of trouble, she headed into Joey's room with her instead. The two girls got changed and cuddled up in bed together. Thinking about all that had happened that night and all that she had lost, Charlie burst into tears.

Joey held her close and kissed the top of her head as they pictured baby Ruby so small and fragile. She knew how much Charlie had wanted to be her Mum and they both hated to think of the little girl growing up in care, unloved, just like they had. But what else could they have done?

"I feel like I'm dying," Charlie admitted sadly.

Joey shifted to look at her properly, cupping her face and gazing into her eyes.

"I have no way of understanding what you've been through tonight," the teenager said sincerely. "But I can promise you right here, right now that I love you more than anything else in the whole world. I will love you and support you for the rest of my life. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you."

Charlie smiled softly at her, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"And one day, when you and I are grown up and we've made all our dreams come true, we'll find baby Ruby and we'll make everything up to her," Joey continued. "We'll let her know that you didn't leave her there because you didn't love her, that you did it because you _do _love her. So much. And you want her to have a better life than either of us got."

Charlie nodded, clinging onto Joey's every word.

"I love you so much, Charlie," Joey confessed.

Charlie leant in and kissed her for the very first time.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

On her lunch break, Charlie headed straight over to the hospital and convinced Flynn to let her in to see Joey. The love of her life was still unconscious, lying somewhat peacefully on the bed as the machines around her continued to monitor her heart and the oxygen in her blood.

Charlie sat down beside her and gently took her hand.

"Oh, Joey," she sighed sadly. "What happened to you?"

Slowly, Joey began to stir.

* * *

_Next time… Adult Joey is surprised to find Charlie in her hospital room and we find out a little bit more about her past…_


	8. Chapter 8

_Just to say that, as requested, I've gone through and added their ages into the story as we jump through time so it's a bit less confusing. Hope it helps! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Eight**

**November 1996 (Age 14)**

Charlie woke up a little confused as to where she was. Then she felt the warm presence of Joey sleeping beside her and smiled, albeit sadly. She was torn between the grief of losing her baby and the joy of finally confessing her feelings to Joey. As if feeling she was being watched, Joey began to stir and felt a flood of warmth rush through her as she opened her eyes to Charlie gazing lovingly at her. They both smiled shyly and held hands. Spontaneously, Charlie leant down and kissed Joey softly on the mouth, wishing her good morning.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

"Joey?" Charlie said softly.

The broken woman blinked a few times, looking bleary and bewildered.

"Don't do this to me, Charlie," she said.

Charlie pulled back rather abruptly, feeling just as confused.

"Every time you're here in my dreams and I wake up and you're not there," Joey mumbled.

Charlie drew her chair closer and took her hand.

"You're not dreaming, Joey," she said gently. "I'm here."

"That's what you always say," Joey sleepily pointed out. "I wish you'd leave me alone. It just makes living so much harder to have a glimpse of you in my sleep."

Charlie sighed, feeling awkward and a little lost. She remained quiet as she watched Joey shift a little and begin to wake properly. She kept hold of her hand and watched her sit up just a little and stare at her.

"Am I dead?" Joey asked.

* * *

**November 1996 (Age 14)**

"Last night seems like some sort of dream mixed with a nightmare," Charlie admitted.

She and Joey were still snuggled up in bed, holding each other close.

"Yeah," Joey breathed.

She felt like her heart was breaking as she recalled Charlie's decision to leave 'Ruby' behind to live what they both hoped would be a better life.

"I hope when she grows up, she'll understand why I made that decision," Charlie said, as if reading her best friend's mind.

"I'm sure she will, Charlie," Joey assured her. "And you never know, maybe one day, when she's older, you can meet her and explain, make her understand."

Charlie nodded, not quite daring to hope.

"Do you think we need to discuss what else happened last night?" Joey asked quietly.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Charlie helped Joey sit up, although she winced from her injuries. The darker haired girl rested against the raised bed and stared at the uniformed police officer.

"Are you… really here?" she asked, not quite daring to believe it.

Charlie leant forward and took her hand again.

"I'm happy to see you again, Joey," she said sincerely.

Joey just stared at her. She couldn't quite comprehend what was happening. She looked down at their joined hands and at the needle in the back of hers. Then she withdrew. Charlie sat back, looking wounded. But all Joey could feel was her own embarrassment.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I should be asking you the same question," Charlie said, sounding rather authoritative but still kind. "What on earth happened to you, Joey?"

Joey frowned and tried to piece together her memory.

"I don't know," she admitted. "But why are you here? I've been to hospital before and not seen you…"

She peered closer.

"Senior Constable Buckton," she added.

Charlie smiled, noting the impressed tone.

"You made it," Joey said somewhat wistfully. "That was all you ever wanted to be."

Charlie nodded quietly.

"Like my Dad," she said, laughing a little bitterly.

Joey nodded, knowing the depth of her grief. It was one of the many things they had shared during their past life together.

"I'd ask how you've been but…" Charlie said sadly, nodding towards her fragile state.

Joey shrugged and then winced.

"I've been fine," she lied.

Charlie inched closer, her hands hovering and then landing in her own lap.

"What's going on, Joey?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Recuperating from… something," Joey said blankly.

She genuinely had no idea what had happened to her.

"Is there anything you remember at all?" Charlie urged.

"Are you asking as Charlie or as Senior Constable Buckton?" Joey asked curiously.

"As Charlie."

"I remember a house," Joey said. "And some guy. But I don't remember anything else."

"Do you know who the guy was?" Charlie asked, thinking of the man in the mortuary.

"I told you I don't remember anything," Joey replied a little stiffly.

Charlie sighed.

"It's just that you might be involved in our investigation," she said awkwardly.

Joey sank back against the bed and closed her eyes. She was in pain and her world was continuing to spin violently out of control. She wondered for a moment how she had got to this place. But the truth was, she already knew.

* * *

**December 2006 (Age 24)**

It was the work Christmas party and Constable Joey Collins and the rest of the police station she worked at were having a good time – well, those that weren't stuck on shift were, that is. Having gone for a nice meal, Joey and her colleagues had gone to a bar to get blind drunk and party the night away.

"Okay, my round," Joey said, getting to her feet and taking orders.

She wobbled to the bar, where she accidentally bumped into a pretty blonde.

"I'm so sorry!" she said politely.

"Don't be," the blonde said, smiling. "I'm Hayley. And who might you be?"

* * *

Over in Summer Bay, Charlie was also working as a police constable. She had gone straight into the force after school and settled at Yabbie Creek Police Station. She was close to those who had become her family and shared a house with two colleagues, Angelo and Watson. She had flitted from one fling to another, never lasting more than a night. She had even slept with Angelo, which had been a terrible idea but thankfully hadn't ruined their friendship. But all the while, Joey was on her mind.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Charlie and Joey sat in the hospital room in uncomfortable silence. Charlie was desperate to reach out to her but she didn't know how. The girl she had loved so much was now a stranger. And she could easily be caught up in a criminal investigation.

"Why didn't you write to me?" they both blurted out at the same time.

* * *

_Next time… Charlie and Joey want answers, the investigation continues and Hayley comes to the hospital…_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Charlie and Joey continued to stare cautiously at each other, neither one entirely sure of what to say.

"I wrote you loads of letters," Charlie said, eventually finding her voice. "I wrote to you pretty much every day for months and you never bothered to reply."

Joey shook her head and then winced from her injuries.

"I waited every day to hear from you and nothing came," she said. "And Mrs John really gloated…"

She trailed off in realisation.

"She intercepted the letters," she realised.

Charlie closed her eyes in despair.

"All this time I thought you'd just gone off and forgotten me," Joey admitted.

"And all this time I thought you blamed me for leaving or lost interest or…"

Charlie trailed off too, desperately unhappy. She thought about all the lost years that had led to this moment and boldly took Joey's hand.

"Joey, what happened to you?" she asked worriedly.

"I don't remember," Joey reminded her.

"I mean, how did you get into this position in the first place?" Charlie pressed. "Flynn said that you come in here a lot with… injuries."

"I can't talk about that," Joey told her.

Charlie felt wounded at being shut down. Once upon a time they had been as close as it was possible for two people to be but now they had nothing.

"Please, Joey?" Charlie begged.

"I can't," Joey told her.

Charlie noted that she had said can't and not won't. But she still felt sad. Silence fell between them.

"I've missed you," Charlie ventured.

Joey's eyes lit up from the dimness that had been in them for a lot of years now.

"I've missed you too," she said.

They gazed at each other for a long while, taking in each other's features.

"So, you made it as a cop like you wanted?" Joey eventually said, a gentle smile on her face. "I'm really proud of you."

"Thank you," Charlie replied. "What about you? What did you go on to do?"

"I never really amounted to anything," Joey said vaguely, sadness in her voice. "Just like Mrs John said I wouldn't."

"Joey…"

"It's fine," Joey said. "We were always going to live different lives."

More silence fell between them.

"Could you get the Doctor, please?" Joey asked.

"What's wrong?" Charlie asked, immediately panicked.

"I just… need some pain relief, that's all," Joey said.

Charlie nodded and hurried out of the room to get Flynn. He followed her back in immediately.

"You're awake," the Doctor commented.

"No shit, Sherlock," Joey joked.

The banter between them suggested to Charlie that they had met several times now.

"Okay, I need to examine you," Flynn said. "And then we can talk about pain relief. Okay?"

"I know the drill," Joey said.

They both look at Charlie, who flushed with embarrassment.

"My break's over anyway," she said awkwardly. "I'll leave you to it."

* * *

**November 1996 (Age 14)**

Teenage Charlie and Joey lay on Joey's bed together. Joey lay on her back with Charlie in her arms. They held hands as Joey looked up at the ceiling and Charlie listened to her heartbeat.

"How do you feel about me, Charlie?" Joey eventually asked.

"I love you," Charlie replied.

The words came out without all that much thought. There had never been any need to be anything but honest with Joey.

"How do you feel about me?" she asked when her friend didn't reply.

"I love you too," Joey told her. "But… well, do you love me the way I love you?"

Charlie sat up so that she could look at her.

"How do you love me?" she asked.

Joey sat up too, crossing her legs and reaching for Charlie's hands.

"I think you're the most perfect person on the planet," she said sincerely. "I think you're beautiful and funny and kind. I think you're a genius and that you're going to make the biggest success of your life. I feel honoured that you'd even acknowledge me, let alone be my friend. And I wish I could be even more to you."

Charlie looked uncertain but pleased.

"I wish I could hold you all the time and I wish I could kiss you like last night. I wish I could be your girlfriend and that when we get out of this hell hole, that we could build a life for ourselves… together."

"I want all those things too," Charlie admitted.

Joey looked just as startled but just as pleased. Cautiously, she leant forward, closing the gap between them and placing her lips gently on Charlie's mouth. Charlie's eyes fluttered closed as she melted against Joey, holding onto her and kissing her tenderly. It felt like the happiest moment in all her life. She almost forgot about Ruby. Almost.

"I'm so in love with you," she whispered.

Joey smiled, holding her closer.

"I'm in love with you too," Charlie said wholeheartedly. "And I'm the one that's honoured to be with you. I want us to spend the rest of our lives together."

They kissed again.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Charlie arrived back at work, having not eaten at all and with her head full of confusion. She felt sick at the image of Joey lying so broken in her hospital bed and worse over the fact that the girl who had haunted her life all this time was now a stranger.

She was about to head into her office when Nick called her over.

"We've made some progress," he said. "Everyone's upstairs. You ready?"

Charlie nodded and followed him round to the back of the building and up the stairs to the small meeting room where Angelo, Watson and several other colleagues were gathered.

"Okay, here's the situation," Nick said. "We've got a corpse named Robert Cruze in the morgue. He's thirty years old and died of a head injury. He looked like he was engaged or about to engage in sexual intercourse before he was killed. We've found prints at the scene that don't match anyone we have on the database and a fingernail that may or may not belong to the killer or to the girl, Ms Collins, in the hospital."

Charlie debated whether she should speak up about the broken nail she'd spotted on Joey's hand when she had returned to the hospital. _We'll find it officially later_, she decided.

"Angelo?" Nick said, gesturing to the constable.

"Right, well, I did some background research on Joanne Collins," he said, casting a brief and awkward glance at his housemate. "She wasn't on the database, has no record… nothing. That's the weird thing about it."  
"What's weird?" Watson asked.

Angelo sat forward and shuffled some papers. Charlie never took her eyes off him.

"She's not registered anywhere," he said. "She's not registered to vote, she has no Facebook profile, Twitter, nothing. She's got no bank account, credit cards… She doesn't exist."

Charlie swallowed, trying to keep a clear head and figure out what it all meant.

"The one thing I found on her was an old newspaper article," Angelo said.

He pushed a print out into the middle of the table.

"She won a bravery award when she was twenty, risking her life to save two children from a house fire," he explained. "And she did in her role as a cop."

Charlie sat up straighter, looking more than a little startled. Joey had been a cop? That had never been part of her life plan. Once again, she felt like they were strangers.

"She was a police officer?" Watson asked, surprised.

"Yep," Angelo confirmed. "And she was a damn good one, by the sounds of it. She won that award, she was charging up the ranks, being eyed for Detective and everything. And then… nothing."

"Nothing?" Charlie said. "What do you mean, nothing?"

"I mean, nothing," Angelo said. "She just dropped off the grid. Left the force, stop leasing the place she was living, dropped out of any financial tracking, no medical records… nothing."

"How can there be no medical records?" Nick asked. "Flynn said she's been in and out for months."

"I guess she never gave a name," Angelo said.

Charlie sat back in her seat, chewing her lip and trying to take in all the information.

"Why would she just disappear like that?" Watson wondered.

"No idea," Nick said. "Charlie?"

The police officer jumped as if a shot had rung out.

"What?" she managed.

"You know this girl," Nick reminded her. "Any ideas?"

"I haven't seen her since I was a teenager," Charlie said. "We're strangers now."

* * *

Hayley made her way into the hospital, slipping past staff undetected and finding her way to Joey's room, after a few missteps and apologies for bursting in on other patients.

"What the hell happened?" she demanded angrily when she found Joey in her hospital bed.

She didn't bother to take note of the state her girlfriend was in.

"I don't know!" Joey said.

She hadn't expected any enquiries after her health. She never did.

"You killed Robbo!" Hayley accused.

"I…"

"Well, I guess that was one way of dealing with our little problem," Hayley said grimly. "But you've opened up a world of new ones. Well done."

* * *

_Next time… Adult Charlie has to examine Joey while teenage Sophie goes into labour…_


	10. Chapter 10

_Sorry I didn't update yesterday. My guinea pig, Nessa Rose, was taken ill so I had to rush her to the vet for an overnight stay so it all got a bit stressful. Just waiting for news on how she's doing. But Jensy25, the chapter you've been waiting for is finally here...! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Ten**

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

"Are you okay to do this?" Nick checked, as he and Charlie prepared to return to the hospital to speak to Joey in a more official capacity. "Because I can take someone else with me if you feel too close to the situation."

"No," Charlie said. "We need DNA samples and all sorts from her. She should at least have a relatively friendly face there."

Nick nodded, silently wondering what Charlie's connection to the suspect was. He decided not to press the issue but led the way out of the station.

* * *

**April 1998 (Age 16)**

"Ugh, I feel so fat!" Sophie complained, stomping down the stairs.

It was a Saturday and Charlie's foster sister was just days away from her due date. Charlie always felt a pang when she saw Sophie, pregnant and happy about it. She was scared too but unlike Charlie, she had a whole family to support her in her impending role as a mother. The baby's father had been called David, an older man and teacher at their school. It had been before Charlie's time but she gathered it had brought a lot of scandal on the Bay. But David had been tragically killed in a car accident before he or Sophie had ever known she was pregnant. And now the baby would never know her father.

"You're not fat," Charlie assured her, from where she was making herself some breakfast. "You're pregnant."

Sophie groaned. Charlie handed her some toast and moved to make herself some more.

"Thank you," Sophie said, taking a bite.

"No problem," Charlie said.

She admired the way that her sister was coping with everything. She wished she had coped better with her own pregnancy and every day, she wondered where her daughter was and what she was doing. She hoped she was happy.

"What's on your mind?" Sophie wondered, pulling up a stool.

"Nothing," Charlie lied.

"Charlie…?"

"I just think you're amazing with the way you've coped with everything," Charlie said.

They smiled fondly at each other.

"Well, I don't think I'd cope without my family," Sophie admitted. "And that includes you."

Charlie blushed, feeling bashful. She thought of Joey and how amazing she had been throughout Charlie's pregnancy and the traumatic birth of her daughter.

"Hey, do you want to do something today?" Sophie asked, bringing Charlie out of her daydreams again.

"Like what?" Charlie asked.

"Like… I don't know, we could all go for a drive or something?" Sophie suggested. "Me, you, Blake, Fin… maybe even Damo and Shane? If we can stand them!"

"Well, Damian's fine," Charlie joked.

Shane had been persistently hitting on her for months, despite Blake warning him off. He had been rather protective of her ever since the day the school bully had laid into her and she had told him that she wasn't interested in finding love.

"Shall I phone Blake?" Sophie asked.

"Sure," Charlie agreed. "I'll go up and get the other two."

Grabbing her toast to eat on the way, Charlie trotted up the stairs.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

"Okay, but you really can't stress her out," Flynn said to the police officers, feeling protective of his patient. "She's still pretty fragile."  
"We'll be careful," Charlie promised, following him into Joey's side room.

Her heart lurched when she saw her ex-girlfriend lying in the bed. She looked so small and so lost. Charlie just wanted to hold her. Steeling herself, she reminded herself that she was in uniform now and she had to be professional. As sick as it made her feel, Joey was a suspect in a murder investigation.

"Hi, Ms Collins," Nick said, taking the lead.

Charlie was relieved.

"Wow, you brought back up this time," Joey remarked.

Charlie paled. She hadn't told anyone that she had visited at lunch time. The police had waited for a call from Flynn to say that she was awake. Nick looked suspiciously at her but said nothing. He took a seat by Joey's bedside and gestured for Charlie to do the same on the other side. She obeyed, looking at Joey wince as she tried to sit up in the bed.

"I'm Sergeant Nick Parrish," the senior officer said. "And I gather you already know Constable Buckton."

Joey nodded, looking at the love of her life with sadness. She was also terrified of what was going to happen next.

"We need to ask you some questions about how you ended up in hospital," Nick said.

"I don't remember," Joey told him. "I just woke up here. I don't know what happened."

"What's the last thing you remember before you woke up here?" Nick asked.

Joey swallowed and closed her eyes. She'd been in a house, one she'd never been in before. Hayley had taken her there to meet a man. She'd ordered her to do whatever he asked and then she'd left.

"I was just at home," she lied. "I guess I fell or something."

"Your injuries aren't consistent with a fall," Nick told her. "We'll need to perform a proper examination on you but…"

"Nobody is examining me," Joey interrupted. "No way. You need a warrant. I know how this stuff works."

"Yes, you do, Constable Collins," Nick replied.

Joey froze and glanced at Charlie who was looking at her and evidently wondering what on earth her life had been like since they parted. _A hell of a lot worse than it would have been_, Joey thought to herself. At least she had the answer she had been longing for all this time. Charlie hadn't abandoned her the way Mrs John had insisted. Their relationship might not have been a lie.

"Don't call me that," she said quietly, looking away from Charlie and focussing on Nick.

He was older than they were but handsome with dark hair and stubble.

"How come you dropped out of the world, Ms Collins?" he asked.

"I don't know what you mean," she replied.

"You left the force, closed your bank accounts, left your home… Why?"

"What's it got to do with you?" Joey asked. "It's not relevant to whatever happened to me."

"But we're not just interested in what happened to you," Nick told her. "We're interested in finding out what happened to Robert Cruze."

Joey kept her face impassive, making sure she didn't register the name.

"I don't know who that is," she said. "I think you've got the wrong person."

"Well, DNA from your exam will tell us that," Nick reminded her.

"I told you I'm not doing any exam," Joey insisted.

"We'll just get a warrant then," Nick said. "But if you've got nothing to hide…"

"I've got nothing to hide," Joey snapped. "Just some dignity to preserve."

"Fine," Nick said. "We'll get the warrant. I'm guessing you won't be going anywhere anytime soon."

"Thanks for rubbing it in," Joey said sourly.

She looked away, caught sight of Charlie and then turned her attention to her hands. She felt completely and utterly trapped.

"Ms Collins, we want to help you," Nick persisted. "But you need to work with us."

"I don't know what to tell you!" Joey said desperately.

"The truth would be a good start," Nick said.

His tone was firm but gentle.

"I don't know how I ended up here," Joey insisted.

For the most part, it was true.

"Do you know the victim?"

"No."

"Do you know what happened to him?"

"No idea."

"He was murdered," Nick told her. "Had his head caved in."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that," Joey lied.

"What can you tell us about a man that brought you in?" Nick asked.

"What man?"

"Broad, blonde… Ring any bells?"

Joey swallowed, thinking of Aden, the boy that had become her best friend in the wake of Charlie's absence from her life.

"Sorry," she said.

Nick sighed.

"Well then, I guess we're done here," he said, standing up. "We'll be back with a warrant."

Charlie forced herself to stand up and follow her boss to the door.

"Wait," Joey said.

They both turned to look at her.

"I'll do the exam," she said. "We may as well get this over and done with. Then you can find whoever did bash this guy you keep talking about. Because I swear it wasn't me."

* * *

**April 1998 (Age 16)**

With Blake driving and Sophie in the passenger seat, Charlie was wedged in the back between Damian and Shane. Fin was buried under a tonne of homework, which had been a good thing in the end as the girls hadn't added up numbers when they had decided to go for a drive.

"So, when are you going to let me take you on a date?" Shane asked.

He had been shamelessly asking her out for months now. She was torn between amused and annoyed.

"How about never?" she replied.

"Oh, come on," he coaxed. "What's wrong with me?"

"Do you really want her answer that, mate?" Blake remarked.

Shane responded by mostly playfully kicking the back of his friend's chair.

"Hey!" Sophie protested. "That's dangerous."

"He's not that bad a driver!" Shane laughed.

"But I am _that _pregnant," Sophie snapped. "Behave yourself. And leave Charlie alone."

"Sorry," Shane said. "And sorry, Charlz. I won't hit on you for at least fifteen minutes."

The others laughed but Charlie was in a world of her own. He had asked her what was wrong with him but the truth was, there was something wrong with her. She was too afraid to get close to someone and even if she did have the courage or the desire, she would feel like she was cheating on someone who evidently didn't want to know her anymore. And once her mind had caught onto Joey, she couldn't shake her. It was the same every time.

"Charlie?" Shane nudged.

"Um, guys…" Sophie said anxiously.

"What's wrong?" Blake asked, just as the car stalled.

They came to an abrupt halt but just for a moment. On a hill, they started rolling back. Blake was quick on the handbrake. It was enough to break Charlie out of her thoughts.

"What happened?"

"My waters just broke," Sophie revealed.

"I meant with the car," Shane said.

Then he froze.

"Hang on, what?" he asked.

"I think I'm in labour," Sophie said.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Nick left the room so that Charlie could perform the examination of her injuries.

"I need to examine you," the police officer told the patient. "And I need to take some DNA, plus scrape under your fingernails in case someone else's DNA is there too."

Joey closed her eyes. She did not want this to be happening.

"I already told you I didn't kill anyone," she sighed.

Charlie stood by the bed and took her hand, gazing into her eyes.

"I know you didn't," she said. "I know you're not capable of something like that. But doing this can rule everything out, okay?"

Joey felt tears forming in her eyes.

"After all this time, you still believe in me?" she asked.

"Always," Charlie promised.

The two women smiled sadly at each other. Joey raised her free hand to wipe her eyes while still holding onto Charlie with the other.

"I don't know what happened to me," she said honestly.

She pictured Robbo undoing his jeans, ready to hurt her. And then everything was a genuine blank. She felt sick.

"But you might need a rape kit," she added quietly.

Charlie wiped her own eyes at the thought of what her friend might have been through. She opted not to question her on what she really remembered and who the murder victim was to her. Instead, she nodded and set to work.

* * *

_Next time… Teenage Charlie takes control while teenage Joey and Aden make plans for their future…_


	11. Chapter 11

_This is your last update before Christmas so I'll see you on the other side! I hope you all have a lovely day. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Eleven**

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Joey closed her eyes and let Charlie work, hoping it would all be over soon. For her part, Charlie felt her heart breaking over what her ex-girlfriend might have been through. She had photographed bruises on her wrists and carried out an examination of her private parts. When she had finished she bagged up all the evidence, took her gloves off and came to sit by Joey's bedside.

"Any idea what happened to me?" Joey asked.

Charlie swallowed, struck by the fear in her voice.

"It looks like there was some attempt at penetration," she revealed. "But no ejaculation."

Joey winced, not entirely sure how she felt about that. Did that make it better at all? Probably not.

"But from what I've taken beneath your nails, I'm hoping to match some DNA," Charlie said.

"But if it's that guy, you'll think I killed him, right?" Joey asked.

Her voice caught. Again, Charlie was struck by how frightened she seemed. She dared to take hold of her hand, looking into her eyes.

"Joey, I don't know what happened," she said. "But I do know you didn't kill anyone. And I'll do whatever it takes to prove that."

Joey searched her face.

"How can you believe so much in me after all this time?" she asked.

"Because I know you," Charlie told her.

"We lost touch when we were fifteen," Joey reminded her. "That was a long time ago."

"Your heart's the same."

Joey offered a half smile, one that Charlie had often seen in her dreams since the day they had been forced to part.

"You didn't do any tests on my heart," she said.

"I don't need to," Charlie replied.

"Come on, Charlie," Joey said. "I was the girl that stole matches from staff and slices of cake from the kitchen. How good can my heart really be?"

"You stole them because every single year, my Dad failed to show up on my birthday and you tried to make it better," Charlie said. "That's a good heart if ever I saw one."

They smiled sadly at each other.

"I've missed you so much, Charlie," Joey admitted. "Like, every single second since you've been gone."

Charlie held back tears and squeezed Joey's hand, assuring her that she felt the same.

"But… well, we're back in each other's lives now…" she ventured.

"And I'm a suspect in a murder investigation," Joey pointed out.

"But after you're proved innocent and we catch the real person…"

"Then our lives are too different," Joey said sadly. "You've built up something amazing for yourself. And me… I'm… trapped."

"How are you trapped?" Charlie asked worriedly.

"I'm so trapped that I can't even tell you about it," Joey said.

"But…"

"Please don't push, Charlie," Joey begged. "It's complicated."

"Is it this girlfriend that Flynn mentioned?" Charlie asked, hoping her irrational jealousy wasn't evident in her voice.

She knew it wasn't fair to be hurt that Joey had moved on and was in a relationship with someone else. It wasn't her fault that Charlie had managed no such thing herself.

"Please?" Joey begged.

Charlie sighed and nodded.

"Look, I need to get back to work and get everything processed," she said apologetically. "But here's my number."

She stood and pulled a business card out of her pocket, handing it over.

"Call me if you need or want anything," she said. "Police or personal."

Joey accepted the card and nodded, thanking her.

* * *

**April 1998 (Age 16)**

"Get that fucking car fucking started before I fucking kill you!" Sophie yelled, trying to catch her breath as she fought wave after wave of contractions.

"I'm not a mechanic, Soph!" Blake said nervously.

He climbed out of the car and lifted the bonnet, even though he had no idea what he could possible do under there. Shane climbed out of the back and attempted to help, although his engine knowledge was also pretty limited. He furrowed his brow and tried to figure out what to do. All the while, Sophie was screaming and panting.

Springing into action, Charlie leapt out of the car, kicking Damian out too in the process.

"Put the seats down in the back," she instructed her foster sibling. "And see if you can find any blankets or anything."

He nodded, looking rather wide eyed and panicked and raced around to the back of the car. Charlie knelt down in front of Sophie and took her hands.

"Look at me," she requested.

Tearfully, the older girl did as she was told.

"Everything is going to be okay," Charlie promised. "We're going to get through this and we're going to bring your baby girl safely and happily into this world. Okay?"

Sophie whimpered.

"Okay?" Charlie nudged.

"Okay," Sophie agreed. "Okay."

Charlie nodded and stood up.

"Do either of you have any idea what you're doing?" she asked Blake and Shane.

"A bit," Shane said.

"Not really," Blake admitted.

"Then Shane, you fiddle around and try to be useful," Charlie said, taking complete control of the situation. "And Blake or Damian, whichever one of you is going to be the least useful here, you run as fast as you possibly can and get some help."

Damian bolted.

* * *

Far away, Joey was sitting with Aden in a park, drinking a bottle of vodka they'd stolen from an off licence. The previous day, they'd been forced to attend a careers day, which had annoyed them anyway, considering they would be stuck at school for another couple of years anyway. But it had also concluded that they were fit for nothing and had no ambition.

"Are we going to become beach bums?" Aden asked, swigging from the bottle.

He handed it over to Joey who also took a gulp.

"Nah," she said, slurring just a little. "We don't have a beach."

"That's why you're the clever one!" Aden laughed.

Joey snorted.

"Not clever enough," she remarked. "I suck at everything."

Aden sighed and put his arm around her.

"You know what would really piss them all off, Jo?" he asked.

"What's that?" Joey asked, leaning against him.

"If we _did _make something of our lives," he said. "I mean, can you imagine Mrs John if we were actually successful at something?"

"How would she even know?" Joey asked. "As soon as school finishes, I'm out of here."

"We could come back and tell her," Aden said. "Really rub it in."

They both laughed.

"What would you _want _to be, Aden?" Joey asked, putting the bottle down and sounding serious. "You know, if we had the same opportunities as normal kids? What would you want to do with your life?"

Aden chewed his lip, pondering the question.

"Something physical," he eventually decided. "Like construction work or with cars or… something."

Joey smiled.

"Don't laugh at me," he begged.

"I'm not," she assured him. "I think that's cool. I think you should try."

"What would _you _want to do?" he asked.

"Well, once upon a time, I was going to do anything I could find part time and spend the rest of my days working on my art and stuff," Joey explained. "Charlie was going to be a cop and we were going to be one big, happy family."

Aden smiled sadly, thinking of the dream she had lost.

"Well, maybe you could do full time work and art work on the weekends?" he suggested.

Joey smiled.

"Maybe," she conceded. "Although, there's not really that much point."

"In working?"

"In trying to be an artist," Joey said. "I'm never going to get anywhere. I've got nobody to believe in me anymore."

"I believe in you," Aden stated.

She looked at him, touched to realise just how much he meant it.

"Then maybe I'll go off and train to be a cop," she decided. "Maybe I'll even run into Charlie someday."

She laughed softly, doubting that her ex-girlfriend would ever want to see her again.

"I'll go for my dream if you'll go for yours," Aden said.

Joey looked at him and shook his hand.

"Deal," she confirmed.

* * *

_Next time… Adult Aden visits Joey while Charlie seeks support from her siblings and teenage Sophie gives birth and Joey leaves the children's home…_


	12. Chapter 12

_Just to let you know that I won't be updating tomorrow as I'm at the hospital in the morning up in London and then spending the day there but I will be back with 'What If?' on Friday. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Twelve**

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Joey lay in her hospital bed, turning Charlie's business card over and over in her hands. She'd read it so many times that she'd already memorised the number. She felt like it was etched onto her heart.

She jumped when the door opened abruptly and shoved the card under her pillow. Her heart only stopped pounding when she realised it wasn't Hayley coming in to see her. Still, she shouldn't have been surprised. For now at least, it seemed her girlfriend had abandoned her, not wanting to get involved in any more mess.

"Aden!" she gasped. "What are you doing here? Where have you been?"

"Hiding!" her best friend hissed.

The pair of them were hardly allowed to see each other. So much so that they often joked that they were having an affair. After a short time into their relationship, Hayley had carefully started to cut Joey off from the outside world. The only tie she had never completely severed was the bond between Joey and Aden. As far as they were concerned, that was unbreakable.

"What the hell happened?" Joey demanded, although mostly, she was just relieved to see him.

"You don't remember?" Aden asked.

Joey shook her head. She had fragments of recollections but most of it was gone. She certainly had no idea how she had ended up in hospital and how Robbo had ended up in the morgue.

"Then I won't tell you," Aden said. "Safer that way."

"Aden…"

"Just trust me," her friend said.

She sighed heavily, collapsing back against the pillow.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, studying her injuries.

This was far from the first time he had come to visit her in a hospital. They had been doing it for years.

"Pretty awful," Joey said. "Not to mention confused."

"Jo, I just can't…"

"It's not even just about that," Joey said. "Guess who the cop investigating is."

Aden looked blanking, evidently running through her old colleagues in his head.

"Charlie," Joey informed him.

Aden looked suitably startled.

"_The _Charlie?" he asked. "_Your _Charlie?"

"Well, I think I stopped being allowed to call her mine a long time ago but… yeah, that one."

Aden sat back.

"Wow," he managed.

He had never met the woman before but he felt like he had, having heard so much about her. He sat forward again.

"And how was _that_?" he finally asked with his usual, cheeky grin.

Joey laughed.

"It was… intense," she admitted. "She… she gave me her card."

She awkwardly pulled it out from beneath her pillow, as if she needed to prove it. Aden took the card and studied it, turning it over in his hands. He looked at her.

"Is she still hot?" he asked.

She laughed, enjoying the fact that he could still play, even in such circumstances.

"She's actually hotter than I ever imagined her turning out to be," she said. "I should have taken a picture."

"Will you see her again?"

"Well, presumably she'll come to arrest me at some point," Joey said sadly.

"Arrest you?" Aden said worriedly, losing his boyish charm and looking panic stricken. "What for?"

"They think I killed that man," Joey explained.

"But you didn't!" Aden said desperately.

"I hope I didn't," Joey said. "But I can't prove that. I don't know what happened."

"I…"

They were interrupted by a nurse coming into do her hourly obs.

"Um, you're not really meant to have visitors at this time of night," the nurse said uncertainly.

Aden stood quickly and apologised, handing Charlie's card back to the patient.

"I'll see you soon, okay?" he said to Joey.

He bent to kiss her cheek and hurried out of the hospital.

* * *

"Charlie!" Sophie said, opening her front door to her sister. "This is a nice surprise."

The police officer, still in uniform but off duty, hovered anxiously outside. She'd finished her shift and gone for a wander, not entirely sure what to do with herself. More than ever now, all she could think about was Joey.

"Are you busy?" she asked.

"Never too busy for you," Sophie said, welcoming her in.

Charlie stepped inside, a knot in her tummy. She paused when she saw Blake watching television on the sofa.

"Blake…" Sophie said to her husband.

He looked up, spotted Charlie, waved and smiled.

"Hey," he greeted, returning to his TV show.

He and Charlie had always been close but he wasn't the person she felt able to talk to tonight. Sophie had picked up on that from the start.

"Blake!" she snapped, kicking him.

"Ow!" he complained, clutching his shin. "What did you do that for?"

"We need girl time," Sophie said through clenched teeth.

He turned the TV off and stood up, still scowling.

"You could have just said so," he moaned.

"I tried," she said, kissing him. "You never could take a hint."

He grinned and kissed her again, patting Charlie on the way out and announcing he was going to see if Shane fancied a beer. He bumped into Shannon on the doorstep.

"Was this pre-arranged or something?" he wondered.

"Am I interrupting?" Shannon asked, genuinely prepared to leave again if necessary.

Blake left the house. Sophie looked to Charlie who invited Shannon in. If anyone would understand her feelings for Joey then it would be her. And she trusted her two sisters more than anyone.

* * *

**April 1998 (Age 16)**

"About time!" Shane remarked as an ambulance hurtled towards them.

It was late. With Charlie acting as a midwife and Shane and Blake flapping around in a panic, Sophie had given birth to a baby girl.

"Over here!" Blake yelled, waving his arms as the vehicle approached.

The paramedics leapt out, as did Damian who had managed to flag them down. They hurried over to the car where Sophie was pale, exhausted and emotional, clutching her little girl in the one blanket Damian had managed to find in the back of the car. Charlie was beside her, holding her hand and weeping quietly over mother and daughter.

"Thank you, Charlie," Sophie said. "Thank you."

Charlie rested her head against Sophie's shoulder, awash with memories of the day that she had given birth to her own little girl.

"It was my pleasure," she said. "I'm just glad you're both okay."

"Me too," Sophie said tearfully. "Me too."

* * *

**December 2000 (Age 18)**

"It's been a pleasure, Mrs John," Joey said insincerely, extending her hand.

She had turned eighteen in the January and finished school the previous week, meaning that she had no more reason to stay in the care system. The state was temporarily setting her up in supported accommodation until the following month when she would become a rookie at police training and she was thrilled to have an actual direction in her life now.

"Indeed," Mrs John replied.

She ignored Joey's hand and walked away.

"Good luck, Ms Collins," she called over her shoulder. "You'll need it if you're not going to end up in jail or on the streets."

Joey laughed bitterly and shook her head. She turned to Aden, who was moving out to the same place she was.

"Ready, set?" she asked.

"Let's go," he replied eagerly.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Charlie sat on the sofa with two of her sisters, Sophie on one side and Shannon on the other.

"Okay, so I don't really know where to start," she ventured. "But um… before I moved here, I met the love of my life."

"Wait, didn't you move here when you were like, eight?" Shannon asked.

"Fifteen," Charlie corrected. "And we met when we were nine. We both lived at the children's home before I was fostered by Pippa and Michael."

Shannon and Sophie both nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"We've missed each other all this time but thought we'd forgotten each other," Charlie said. "It turns out that my letters were never received thanks to Mrs Bitch at the home."

"I'm guessing that wasn't her real name," Shannon joked. "Because _that _would be unfortunate."

"A deserved nickname," Charlie assured her. "You know, if you went and did a story on how terribly she treated her kids, it wouldn't be a bad thing."

"Noted," Shannon said.

"But the love of your life?" Sophie prompted.

She for one had always been curious about Charlie's romantic life, or lack thereof. She had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

"We met again today," Charlie revealed. "And it's kind of thrown me through a loop."

"So, who is he?" Shannon asked.

"She…" Charlie ventured.

"Knew it!" Shannon said, startling Charlie out of her own fear. "You owe me twenty bucks, Soph."

"That bet was made about a hundred years ago!" Sophie complained.

Charlie stared open mouthed between the two of them.

"You made _bets _on my sexuality?" she demanded.

"Yeah," Shannon and Sophie both mumbled.

"And you never thought to actually ask me?"

"You didn't seem to want to talk about it," Sophie pointed out.

"And you kept sleeping with just enough random guys to seem to want to put us off the scent," Shannon chimed in.

Charlie sighed heavily and sank back against the couch cushions.

"So, she's back in your life…" Shannon nudged eagerly.

She too had been waiting for the chance to learn about Charlie's secret love life. She knew there had to be _something _to talk about.

"What's she like?" Sophie asked.

"What's her name?" Shannon wanted to know.

"Her name's Joey and she's a suspect in a murder investigation," Charlie informed them. "I know she didn't do it. I know she's not capable of anything like that. Guys, she's the most wonderful person on the planet. I know she didn't do this. But… I don't know how to help her. I don't know what to do."

* * *

_Next time… we learn more of Charlie and Joey's lives together and apart and the police investigation continues… _


	13. Chapter 13

_For Blue1927 on a special day. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Thirteen**

**November 1997 (Age 15)**

After school on the last day of term, Charlie and Joey opted not to go straight home. They strolled hand in hand across the park in the sunshine, enjoying the greenery and the fresh air surrounding them.

In a couple of months, they would both be sixteen and they were planning on taking their relationship to a more intimate level. Then they just had a couple of years and they would be free of the home and the care system and they could start their lives properly.

"Tell me the new plan again," Joey requested.

It was like a strange bedtime story, something that comforted both of them when they were struggling.

"Well, we get to the end of school and then we move out of that horrible house," Charlie told her. "We get somewhere to live together and I train as a cop while you get a job, probably something physical where you get to work with your hands."

Joey smiled as they sat down on the ground together, cuddled up.

"You'll work part time and do all your art in the afternoon and we'll be really happy together," Charlie said. "The happiest couple there's ever been."

Joey nodded her firm agreement.

"Then, when we're ready, when I'm charging up the ranks in my job and you've got work in all the posh galleries and stuff, we'll go and find Ruby and tell her how much we love her, how much we've always loved her. We'll explain to her why we had to leave her at the hospital that day and even though she'll be upset with us at first, she'll understand in the end and she'll be so happy to have parents like us."

Joey grinned, stroking Charlie's hand.

"She'll come to live with us at our fancy, loft apartment and the three of us will be a proper family," Charlie concluded. "We're going to be as happy together as you and I have ever been sad in all our lives."

Joey gazed lovingly at her girlfriend. She kissed her, hoping that all their dreams would come true.

* * *

**April 1998 (Age 16)**

Charlie woke to the sound of not only the baby crying, but someone else crying too. Slipping out of the room she now shared with Fin and Sally, she crept along the corridor and into Sophie and Tamara's room. There, her elder sister was rocking her new born baby, sobbing herself as she willed her to stop crying.

"Hey, are you okay?" Charlie whispered gently.

Sophie looked up guiltily, as if she had done something wrong.

"She won't stop crying," she wept.

Charlie hurried into the room and gathered Tamara into her arms. She rocked her gently, holding her tight in all her blankets. Sophie sank onto her bed.

"I'm the worst mother in history," she declared.

"Of course you're not," Charlie scolded.

It was a title she'd rather take for herself but of course, nobody but Joey knew that there was a little girl called Ruby running around somewhere, oblivious to the horror she had come from.

"You're just tired and you haven't got a rhythm yet," Charlie said, relieved when the baby began to settle. "You'll pick it up."

"Well, _you _don't seem to be having any problems," Sophie said sourly.

"I didn't just spend hours in labour," Charlie pointed out. "And I've actually managed to sleep these last few nights. Don't be so hard on yourself, Soph."

Sophie sighed heavily. Charlie double checked that Tamara had drifted off and lay her gently down in her cot. Then she came to sit beside the girl she thought of as family. She took her hand.

"You'll get there," she promised. "And we're all here to support you."

"I'm starting to think you'd be better as Tammy's Mum," Sophie said unhappily.

"Of course I wouldn't be," Charlie said. "_You're _her Mum, the only one she'll ever have."

Sophie sighed.

"But you've been so great, Charlie," she said. "I think we both would have died out there if you hadn't been there to help us through the birth."

"You would have managed," Charlie said. "But I was happy to help."

"You're not secretly a midwife or something, are you?" Sophie joked.

Charlie laughed and assured her she wasn't but agreed to consider it as a career choice.

"Listen, she's sleeping now so you should try and get some rest as well," Charlie added.

Sophie wiped her eyes. Charlie hugged her.

"You're going to be a fantastic Mum," she promised. "You already are. Don't beat yourself up about the tough bits. Of course it's not going to be easy. But the important thing is that you keep trying."

Sophie nodded, reluctantly releasing her friend from her arms.

"Thank you, Charlie," she said. "Goodnight."

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Nick, Charlie, Angelo, Watson and the rest of their team sat in the meeting room in the upstairs of the police station.

"So, what do we know?" Nick asked, starting the meeting off.

"We've got Robert Cruze in the morgue," Angelo informed him. "Thirty years old, no family, but his girlfriend, Tanya Gannon, has been informed."

"She didn't look desperately distraught," Watson added. "I'd consider her a suspect."

Nick nodded. Constable Avery wrote her name on the board behind them. Charlie still felt sick that Joey's name was also under the suspect list. She knew her ex-girlfriend was not capable of murder. She just had to find a way to convince her colleagues. She just had to prove it.

"He died of blunt force trauma to the head," Angelo continued.

Charlie tried not to smile at his self-importance.

"There was glass at the scene and glass splinters in the body," he said. "We've traced it to a vase that looked to have been resting on the countertop in the apartment. It looks like it was the murder weapon."

"Any prints?" Nick asked.

"Nothing tangible," Angelo sighed. "Just smears."

"What about defensive wounds?" Nick wanted to know. "Was there a fight at the scene?"

"There was," Watson said. "It looks like there was an altercation between this Cruze guy and your girl at the hospital, Joanna?"

"Joey," Charlie corrected.

Nick frowned at the familiarity but let it slide.

"Joey," Watson said, also a little concerned, although her housemate had been home late the previous night and refused to talk about anything when she had got back. "Charlie's examination shows defensive wounds on her and Cruze's DNA under her nails. There were also signs of penetration but it looks like he was interrupted. I'd suggest rape."

Charlie clenched her jaw. She hated the thought of the love of her life going through a pain she recalled all too well.

"But the safe assumption is that she was saved the full ordeal because she killed him," Angelo put in.

"No!" Charlie argued. "Joey wouldn't do that."

"Senior, can I please remind you that Ms Collins is a suspect, a victim and possibly a witness?" Nick interrupted. "Right now, she isn't your old playmate."

Charlie felt a twinge at the thought of her being described as being so insignificant. But she sank back in her seat and nodded, opting to remain quiet for now.

"What do you think happened, Angelo?" Nick asked, open to theories.

"Well, in the absence of evidence that anyone else was there, I'd suggest that he attacked, she fought him off, he turned around, she smashed him and then ran off," he said.

"But then how did she end up in hospital?" Watson asked. "She was unconscious."

"And some guy brought her in," Charlie added, not quite able to keep quiet after all.

"Any idea who?" Angelo asked.

"We got a description from Flynn," Nick asked. "But Avery, can you go down to the hospital and get the CCTV? It'd be worth trawling through the tapes to see if we can identify the guy."

Avery nodded, mentally noting his task.

"It would also be worth pressing Joanna a bit more," Nick said.

Charlie was certain she had said her name that way for her benefit.

"Find out if she knows Cruze or the guy who brought her in," Nick added.

"She said she didn't," Charlie pointed out.

"What people say and what the truth really is, isn't always the same thing," Nick told her. "We already know this. I was going to trust you with that task. Can I? Or are you biased?"

"You can trust me," Charlie promised.

Nick nodded and instructed her and Avery to go to the hospital immediately.

"Watson, I want you to go and question this Tanya Gannon again," Nick said. "Find out if she's worth pursuing or if that's a red herring and she just didn't like her boyfriend all that much. Whether it was rape or consensual with Joanna, he obviously didn't only have eyes for his girlfriend. That's got to piss a girl off, right?"

All the female officers nodded their agreement.

"Angelo, I want you collating evidence," Nick said. "We need to figure this whole thing out as fast as possible. The last thing we want is for some jumped up homicide detective sweeping in from the city, making out like we can't cope."

Everyone agreed. This had happened on more than one occasion and nobody had ever enjoyed the experience.

* * *

**January 2001 (Age 19)**

Joey was nervous on her first day at police training but she was determined to make a go of things. She knew in her heart of hearts that when she had made the decision to train, she had hoped for some magical reunion with Charlie. But she had scanned the room and her lost love was nowhere in sight. It had been a pipe dream. For all the excuses and reasons Joey had come up with in her head, she finally realised that Charlie had left her behind.

* * *

Miles away, Charlie was experiencing her own first day in training. It was a moment that she felt she had been waiting for all her life but it wasn't the happy experience she had hoped it would be. Nothing in her life was the happy experience she'd expected. Without Joey, she didn't think she'd ever be truly happy again.

Sighing heavily, she focussed on what the leader of the group was saying. If she was never going to love again then she had to made a success of herself some other way. She just wished that all the plans and the dreams she and Joey had carved out for themselves would come true.

* * *

_Next time… Charlie and Joey spend more time together while we explore a little more of their individual pasts…_


	14. Chapter 14

_Just to let you know, I won't be updating again until Monday now so I wish you all a good weekend. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Fourteen**

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Charlie was relieved to be allowed to visit Joey on her own. She went to the hospital with Avery, who made a beeline for security in order to retrieve the CCTV tapes to try and find an image of the man who had brought Joey in. It was Charlie's job to get the truth out of her ex-girlfriend about what had really happened.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door to Joey's room. She was surprised to see her dressed and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Have you been discharged?" she asked in surprise.

"Almost," Joey said, wincing as she tried to bend to put her socks on.

Without thinking, Charlie hurried forward and knelt down to do it for her. Just that gesture reminded Joey of how much she loved her. She closed her eyes and tried to brush away the thought. She had to let go of the memories of Charlie, now more than ever.

"I'm just waiting for Flynn to check me over one last time," she said when Charlie stood back up, looking flushed and feeling shy. "And then I can go home."

"Where is home?" Charlie asked.

"Not far," Joey said.

"We'll need an address for the investigation," the police officer said awkwardly.

Joey nodded and shifted back a little further onto the bed.

"Are you here to interrogate me again?" she asked.

"I wouldn't put it quite like that," Charlie said. "But I do need to talk to you properly."

Joey sighed. Everything in her was telling her to trust Charlie and to tell her the whole truth from start to finish, the whole sad story of her life since the day she'd left. But she had lived too long in fear now. She was too scared to trust her own instincts; too scared to trust herself.

"Have you got someone to look after you at home?" Charlie asked, moving to perch on the bed beside her. "You're still pretty injured, Joey."

The patient shrugged. She had no earthly idea what was waiting for her at home.

"I'm used to it," she admitted. "I can deal."

Charlie swallowed and looked at the floor before turning slightly to study her ex-girlfriend's profile. She took and breath and then a risk.

"Does this kind of thing happen to you a lot?" she asked.

"I usually remember more about it," Joey replied.

"Is it your girlfriend who… hurts you?"

Joey nodded glumly, ashamed of her own life. She wasn't exactly sure what she was expecting but she was surprised when Charlie gently took hold of her hand.

"There are places you can go, you know," the police officer told her. "You can get help. _I'll _help you."

"I'm a suspect in a murder investigation, Charlie," Joey pointed out. "How much can you help me? Really?"

Charlie looked into her eyes.

"I'll do whatever it takes," she said sincerely. "And if your girlfriend is hurting you, then there's a chance you might not even have had anything to do with the victim's death."

"Didn't your little test place me at the scene?" Joey asked, half bitter and half hopeful.

"Yes, it did," Charlie admitted. "But that doesn't mean you killed him."

"You really think I didn't do it?"

"Did you?"

"No," Joey said. "But I can't prove it."

"You don't need to prove it to me," Charlie said. "Just to my team."

Joey allowed herself a small smile and looked down at their joined hands. Even after all this time, they fit so perfectly together.

"We can get all of this sorted out if you'll just co-operate with me a bit, okay?" Charlie tried.

"I don't know what happened," Joey insisted.

Charlie felt her tense against her hand.

"I don't know who that man is," Joey added. "I don't know what happened to him."

"Okay," Charlie said softly. "We can… we can work this out together. I just need you to be as honest with me as you can. And I need you to trust me."

She tilted Joey's head so that she had to look her in the eye.

"Can you do that for me?" she asked.

Joey swallowed. Love and warmth surged within her.

"I can try," she agreed.

"Then, shall I take you home?" Charlie suggested. "You must be sick of this place."

"I do need to go home," Joey said. "But I don't want to take you out of your way."

"It's no trouble," Charlie said, standing up and gently guiding Joey to her feet. "I'm here to help you."

Joey smiled uncertainly and allowed the police officer to help her carry her bags out of the room.

* * *

**December 2008 (Age 26)**

"Here's to our two year anniversary," Hayley proposed across the dinner table in the restaurant she had booked for herself and Joey.

Joey clinked her glass of champagne with Hayley's and forced a smile. More and more, she was starting to feel unsettled and unsure in her life and in her relationship. But the unhappier she was, the happier Hayley seemed to be, which only confused her more.

"And for the next year ahead of us, hey?"

Joey kept the smile on her face. The truth was, she was anxious about the future. She felt like everything she loved was starting to slip away from her.

"I can't wait until you move into my apartment," Hayley enthused, sipping her drink.

"Well, I still think we should wait a bit," Joey replied uncertainly.

Her heart sank at the look of disdain on her girlfriend's face.

"Joey, we've been together for two years," Hayley complained. "When will you just give it up and commit to me?"

"I am committed to you," Joey insisted. "But I don't think we need to rush into living together."

"We practically live together anyway," Hayley pointed out. "We're always together."

"I know but we both like having our own space, don't we?"

"No," Hayley said. "I want us to share our space. I want us to live together. And I don't understand why you're refusing to commit to our relationship. Well, I do, actually. But that only pisses me off more."

Joey looked and felt confused.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Charlie!" Hayley blurted out.

Joey jolted and looked around. For one brief moment, she believed, hoped and wished with all her heart that her long lost love was there. But it wasn't a greeting. It was an accusation. She turned anxiously back to Hayley who was red in the face. She looked livid.

"When are you going to stop looking for that bitch?" she snapped. "She doesn't want you, Joey. She left you. She probably doesn't even remember who you are. Sometimes I even wonder if you're just deluded and made her up, if she even exists. So grow the fuck up, ditch that idiot Aden of yours and move in with me. I'm not going to wait for you forever. And when I'm gone, you'll be sorry."

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Joey took a deep breath and let herself into the house she shared with Hayley on the outskirts of town. They had moved to Mangrove River a year ago, with Hayley deciding she wanted to be with her old friends from high school. Joey didn't like them.

"Hello?" she called, peering around the front door.

The lounge looked desolate, like nobody had been there for days. She stepped inside, aware that Charlie was right behind her. Her anxiety levels grew.

"Hayley?" she called.

There was no answer. She turned back to Charlie who was hovering in the doorway, not quite sure how to proceed.

"I don't think she's here," Joey said.

"Is that good or bad?" Charlie wondered.

"Good," Joey replied immediately.

Charlie wasn't sure how to respond. Silence fell between them.

"Would you like a cup of coffee?" Joey asked.

Charlie accepted without hesitation.

* * *

**March 2001 (Age 19)**

Charlie sat around a table in a bar with her friends. She and two friends from the academy had been stationed together at Yabbie Creek Police Station, which meant that she had been able to move back to her home in Summer Bay.

She, Watson and Angelo had rented a house together and everything seemed to be falling into place. She was close to her family again, she had the job she always wanted and wonderful friends. But there was still a Joey shaped hole in her heart that she knew would never be filled.

"Are you thinking about what could have been?" Shane teased, coming to sit beside her.

They were all in the Surf Club, celebrating both Charlie's return and Shane's engagement to his long term girlfriend, Angel. Charlie snorted with laughter.

"My heart is broken," she joked, clutching her chest dramatically.

"I know!" he laughed.

He turned and gazed affectionately at the woman he loved. Angel was chatting happily with Sophie and Blake who had recently settled into a relationship. Charlie was glad that her foster sister and friend had finally realised they were made for each other. He had been playing Dad to Sophie's daughter, Tamara, since she'd been born and it had been obvious for a long time that the two friends were in love.

"So, now we just need to find someone for you," Shane said, turning back to Charlie.

She shook her head and sipped her drink. She pictured Joey's face the last time she had seen her and wondered for the millionth time why she had never written back.

"I'm fine by myself," she insisted. "Happier."

"Everyone deserves someone to love them, Charlie," Shane told her. "And it looks like that guy's pretty into you."

"What guy?" Charlie asked, a little startled.

Shane nodded towards Angelo, who was chatting with Watson in another corner. Charlie shook her head again and assured him that they were just friends. Over the course of their police training, Angelo had indeed asked her out a few times and made it fairly obvious that he did have feelings for her. But she liked him too much to get involved. She didn't want to hurt him and besides, every time she _had_ accepted a date with someone over the years, she felt like she had been cheating on the person she really loved.

* * *

_Next time… Charlie and Joey both lose their virginity and Charlie gets more of an insight into Joey's life…_


	15. Chapter 15

_Sorry for the lack of update yesterday. My best friend had some bad news so she had to be my priority, which I'm sure you'll understand. But I hope you enjoy the chapter now it's here. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Fifteen**

**May 2001 (Age 19)**

Charlie was drunk. She hadn't meant to get drunk and even at this stage, when she thought it likely that she'd be spending quite some time throwing up later, there was a nagging voice in the back of her head that said she was acting unprofessionally and needed to snap out of it.

"Turn that frown upside down, Charlie Buckton," Angelo slurred.

They, along with Watson and various locals, including Shane, Angel, Sophie and Blake, were celebrating Charlie receiving a commendation on a case. She had a stamp of approval on her record and had been told that the chances of her being promoted fairly quickly were high.

"We're meant to be celebrating," Angelo added.

Charlie smiled as he plonked himself down beside her on the beach, where the partygoers had gone out to get some air after boozing it up at the Surf Club for the past few hours.

"I'm happy," Charlie assured him.

He shifted closer and put his arm around her.

"Charlie, I've known you over a year now and I don't think I've ever seen your smile reach your eyes before," he told her.

She looked up sharply, wondering if it was true. But she knew the chances were that it was. She hadn't felt genuine joy since the last time she had been in Joey's arms and that had been so desperately long ago now.

"This just isn't how I planned my life," she admitted.

"I thought you always wanted to be a cop," Angelo said.

"I did, I just… there's someone missing," she said.

It was the most she had ever revealed to anyone all this time. She hadn't even shared her pain with Sophie or Shannon, two of the girls she considered to be sisters.

"Your family?" Angelo asked, aware that his housemate had grown up in foster care.

"Something like that," she replied.

"I wish I could make it better for you, Charlie," he said honestly. "But for now, all I can suggest is that you just let go and just enjoy what you do have instead of thinking about what you've lost."

She studied his profile and sighed heavily. On impulse she leant over and kissed him.

* * *

Joey sat at home in her loft apartment with Aden, eating takeaway pizza and drinking beer. They had moved into the city to start their life together and so far, things were going well. Joey was succeeding on the police force. She was performing well and came home with a sense of satisfaction that she never thought she'd achieve from a job. She'd also made a lot of friends and found a place she felt she belonged. She missed Charlie still and it was hard to resist breaking the rules and using her resources to look her up, but she was as happy as it was possible to be without her.

Aden was also working hard and the pair of them were happy to be spending their free time together. Joey worked hard on her art work, although without Charlie to encourage her, she had somewhat lost her dream of becoming professional.

"I wonder what she's doing now," Joey mused.

Charlie was still a regular topic of conversation. She always had been.

"What would you like her to be doing?" Aden asked.

"Apart from missing me?"

"Apart from that," Aden confirmed.

"I'd like her to be happy," Joey said. "I can see her being a cop and probably promoted by now, or at least on her way. I hope she has tonnes of friends and a really happy home. I just… wish I could be part of her life."

"We could always pack up and go and find her, you know," Aden suggested. "There's nothing stopping us."

"There's one thing," Joey objected.

"What's that?"

"She doesn't want to be found. If she did, she wouldn't have walked out without a trace, would she?"

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

"This is a nice place you've got," Charlie said, perching on one end of the sofa, clutching a cup of coffee.

Joey sat on the other end, mirroring her ex-girlfriend's position.

"It's Hayley's," she replied quietly. "Nothing to do with me."

"We noticed on our background check that you kind of dropped off the grid when you left the force," Charlie ventured. "How come?"

Joey just shrugged and sipped her drink, even though it was still a little too hot.

"I was surprised to learn you'd become a cop," Charlie admitted.

"You and me both," Joey grinned.

They both relaxed momentarily and smiled at each other.

"By all accounts you were pretty good at it," Charlie added. "I saw you had commendations and even won a bravery award."

Joey shrugged and told her it was nothing.

"It really becomes your life though, doesn't it?" Charlie persisted. "You live and breathe work. It becomes so much a part of who you are."

Joey nodded quietly.

"So… how come you left?" Charlie asked again. "Was it for a particular reason or…?"

Joey hesitated, shifting position and trying to figure out her options. Her instinct was just to tell Charlie everything but she was terrified. She didn't know where it would lead.

"My life just changed," she finally said. "Took a different direction. And it wasn't compatible."

"What direction did it take?" Charlie wondered.

Joey gestured to the room.

"Here, I guess," she said.

"What do you do with your time?"

"Just… look after the house and… stuff."

"Does Hayley work?"

"She's a lawyer," Joey told her.

Charlie nodded.

"Joey, what's going on?" she asked, losing her professional façade.

"What do you mean?" Joey asked, feigning ignorance.

"You don't seem happy," Charlie said.

"I've just got out of hospital," Joey reminded her.

"And you seemed happier while you were still in there," Charlie quipped right back.

Joey laughed self-consciously and shook her head.

"I don't know what you want me to tell you, Charlie," she said.

"The truth?" Charlie suggested.

"About what?" Joey asked. "I told you I don't remember what happened. I don't know how I ended up in hospital and I don't know who that man is that died."

"I'm not talking about that," Charlie said. "I mean your life, your girlfriend, why you've cut yourself off from the whole world."

"I haven't…"

"You don't even have a bank account!" Charlie said.

"Not everyone does," Joey replied weakly.

"I know _kids _that have them," Charlie said. "You dropped out of the world. You vanished. There's something going on here and it's not good. I need to know what it is, Joey."

"Why?"

"Because I need to help you," Charlie said.

She put her mug down and took Joey's hand, looking into her eyes.

"Please let me help you," she begged.

"I…"

They were interrupted by someone knocking loudly on the door. Joey jumped up like she'd been shot, dropping Charlie's hand and hurrying to answer the door. Charlie was mortified to come face to face with the man she'd had a one night stand with only the week before. She still couldn't remember his name.

* * *

_Next time… Charlie and Joey are both unnerved by Brax while their younger selves feel awkward to wake up after losing their virginities…_


	16. Chapter 16

_Sorry this chapter is a bit later than usual but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Sixteen**

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

"Well, well, well," Brax said, looking Charlie up and down. "Fancy seeing you here."

He smirked. She cringed. Joey looked confused.

"I think I prefer you out of uniform," he said. "Well, out of anything really."

The penny dropped. Joey pulled a face.

"What do you want, Brax?" she snapped, holding onto the front door so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"I came to welcome you home from hospital," he told her.

The look in his eye told her differently. She swallowed, wishing that she was still on the ward, being treated by friendly faces like Flynn, people that cared about her, even if they were paid to do so.

"I didn't realise you had company," he lied.

Joey caught his expression and knew exactly why he was there. He was warning her to keep the police away from the house, away from Hayley's business.

"She was just kind enough to give me a lift home," she said hurriedly.

Charlie was crestfallen, aware that she was being dismissed. She studied Joey and Brax both, trying to figure out if Brax was intimidating her somehow or if she just didn't want her around.

"That's all," Joey added, making eye contact with Brax.

"Well, shall I see you out then?" Brax asked the police officer, wrapping the meaning up in manners.

"I'm fine, thank you," Charlie said. "I still need to go through some things with Joey first."

"Then I'd like to stay," Brax replied, dropping the nicety.

"There's no need," Charlie told him bluntly.

"There's every need," he insisted.

"Brax, I'm fine," Joey said. "I'll call you."

"Joey…"

"I'll call you," Joey said firmly.

She knew she'd probably get into trouble later, when Hayley's lackey reported back to her. But she didn't want Brax hassling her or Charlie now. And she didn't want to lose time with the woman she loved, even if she could never truly be with her again.

"Fine," he said grimly. "I'll be back in a bit."

He nodded at Charlie, offered a brief, lewd look and left.

"So, you've fucked him then," Joey remarked when she closed the front door.

Charlie looked horrified.

"I um… I…"

"Charlie, it's not like I have any right to judge you," Joey reminded her, offering a small, sad smile and coming to sit back on the sofa. "We haven't been together in fifteen years. I think you're entitled to move on."

"Well, that's the thing," Charlie admitted without thinking it through. "I haven't. I never did."

Joey looked startled.

"What do you mean?"

"I never forgot you, Joey," Charlie said. "And you might be in this long term, committed, albeit miserable relationship, but I've never got close to anyone since you."

"What was Brax?" Joey asked cautiously.

"A drunken one night stand," Charlie said. "I keep forgetting his name."

"Well, it is a stupid name," Joey conceded.

Charlie laughed and took Joey's hand again.

"Please let me help you," she begged.

* * *

**May 2001 (Age 19)**

Charlie woke up with a hangover and the weight of deep regret on top of her. She was in Angelo's room across the hall and he was soundly asleep beside her. As much as she would like to pretend she didn't remember what had happened the night before, drink hadn't blocked it out. She'd lost her virginity to him and it had been a nightmare. She'd hated every minute of it and she missed Joey more than ever.

Cringing, she pulled herself out of her friend's bed and gathered her clothes together. She did more of a sprint of shame across the corridor than a walk and flung herself onto her bed. Face down on the mattress, she sobbed.

"Joey, where are you?" she cried. "Why aren't you here?"

Her whole body shuddered as she wept for her lost love, wishing that she would just appear, take her into her arms and promise her that everything would be okay.

* * *

Hours away, Joey awkwardly let herself out of a stranger's apartment. Aden and her colleagues had taken her out to celebrate a particularly big arrest and the closing of a huge case. Her housemate had also persisted in encouraging her that if she wasn't going to try and find Charlie, then she had to leave her behind. So when a gorgeous woman, who had actually looked rather like her, had made eyes at her across the bar, Joey had allowed herself to be seduced.

She'd lost her virginity to a woman she couldn't remember the name of, a woman she had no intention of ever seeing again. Her heart was heavy as she walked out into the morning air and towards her own home, feeling the full force of her own shame. Last night was far from how she had wanted to lose her virginity. Even after Charlie had left her behind, Joey had held onto the distant hope that maybe one day they would find each other again, and save themselves for that moment. But alas, it was not to be.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

"You can't help me, Charlie," Joey said sadly. "It's too late."

Charlie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was frustrated but compassionate and the two feelings conflicted within her.

"Joey, twenty years ago, you saved my life," she said seriously. "I was nine years old, abandoned by my father, alone in the world and terrified. Those girls could have made my life hell in that home. Between them and Mrs Bitch, I don't think I would have survived. I certainly would never have got through everything that happened with Grant and Ruby and…"

She trailed off and hurriedly wiped her eyes. Joey felt her heart breaking. Charlie pulled herself together and looked her ex-girlfriend in the eye.

"You saved me," she repeated. "I don't exactly know what's happening to you, although I think I can at least work out some of it. But please, Joey, please let me save you. Please just tell me everything, the whole story from the start. Let me help you. There isn't one single thing I wouldn't do to get you out of whatever situation you're in."

Joey stared at her, startled.

"Please?" Charlie begged again. "Please just talk to me. Tell me the truth. Let me help you the way you helped me."

* * *

_Next time… the police make headway on the case, Joey makes a decision and younger Charlie reveals all about her night with Angelo to her friends…_


	17. Chapter 17

_Just to let you know in advance that I won't be updating over the weekend (Saturday and Sunday) as my girlfriend is visiting but I will be back with you on Monday. I should be able to update tomorrow though. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Seventeen**

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Charlie had gone straight from Joey's house to the police station, calling a meeting with Nick, Angelo, Watson, Avery and the rest of the team.

"Avery, did you get anywhere with the CCTV?" she asked, getting right to the point.

"Not really," Avery replied glumly. "I've been going through it all afternoon but whoever brought her in had a hood up the whole time and the cameras never caught his face."

"Did you get any other information about him?" Charlie asked urgently.

"I've been reviewing the footage on the computer," Avery said. "I could go and…"

Charlie nodded. He raced off to get the laptop he had been using. Nick opted to use the time to catch up on any other information anyone had gathered, not wanting to rush Charlie on whatever hunch she might have picked up.

"Watson, any luck with Tanya Gannon?" he asked.

"She has an alibi," Watson replied. "She was with her family. She didn't seem unhappy that her boyfriend was dead and I gather he was a bastard but I think it unlikely that she killed him. I think she'd shake the hand of the person who did though."

"Well, we'll be sure to introduce her and Joanne then," Angelo quipped.

"Joey didn't kill him!" Charlie snapped bitterly.

She glared at her housemate and one time disastrous lover. Suddenly, she hated him. She thought back to that awful night they'd spent together and felt even sicker than she had at the time.

"Keep a clear head, Charlie," Nick warned quietly.

Charlie nodded and felt relieved when Avery returned with the laptop. He played the group the video footage he had found of a stocky, broad man in jeans and a hooded top bringing Joey, battered, bruised and unconscious, into the hospital. He carried her urgently but carefully, not wanting to harm her. That made it unlikely to be Brax but it was all she had to go on. The man in the frame suited his build, matched the way he walked. He was the only other possible person she could link to the crime.

"I think I might know who that is," she declared.

* * *

**May 2001 (Age 19)**

"What is with you two?" Shannon wondered.

She, Charlie, Watson and Sophie were sat around a table at lunch time in the Diner. It was a week after Charlie's night of no passion with Angelo and things were more than a little awkward.

"What do you mean?" Charlie asked, feigning innocence.

"Oh, come on," Watson said. "There are icicles forming inside our house right now!"

"Ever since that party…" Sophie teased.

Charlie sighed and mumbled that they'd slept together. The girls mock mumbled back at her.

"We slept together," Charlie repeated more clearly. "And it was a terrible, terrible mistake."

"And you both think that or…?" Shannon asked.

"Yes," Charlie said. "I mean, yeah, of course we do…"

"Well, what happened?" Sophie asked.

"Do you want graphic details or…?"

Watson shuddered. Sophie and Shannon both laughed.

"I mean when you had the awkward discussion afterwards," Sophie said.

Charlie looked even more awkward.

"You _did _have the awkward discussion, didn't you?" Sophie checked. "I mean, you didn't just walk out on him?"

"I crept out the next day," Charlie said. "And then when I next saw him, I just said it was a mistake and that we should just chalk it up to experience. That we're better as friends."

"Man, you get right to the point, don't you?" Watson remarked.

"Remind me never to sleep with you," Shannon smirked.

Charlie blushed while Sophie burst out laughing.

"Not that there's anything wrong with you," Shannon added, still smirking. "You're pretty hot, actually."

Charlie looked like she might burst, she was so red. She looked down and gulped her drink.

"So…" Sophie probed.

"So what?" Charlie squeaked, having completely lost the thread of the conversation.

"So what happened with Angelo?"

"We slept together," Charlie said. "I already told you."

"But you just want to be friends now?" Watson asked. "And that's why it's so awkward?"

"Yes," Charlie said. "I don't know why he's being so weird though. I just want to go back to normal."

"Well, he's pretty much in love with you," Watson blurted out.

Everyone stared at her. Now it was her turn to blush.

"Oh, come on!" she exclaimed. "It's obvious even if he hadn't told me in the strictest confidence…"

She mumbled the latter part of the sentence and hung her head. Charlie sighed.

"Look, everything will be okay," Charlie said. "He'll get over it."

"Is there any particular reason why you don't want to get involved?" Sophie asked curiously.

"I just… don't."

Sophie and Shannon exchanged secret glances.

"Was he that bad?" Shannon teased.

"It was pretty awful," Charlie admitted without thinking.

The other girls laughed. Charlie cringed, reliving the awful moment.

"What was wrong with it?" Sophie wondered.

"Well, it was my first time so I can't imagine I was much good either," Charlie confessed. "But it was clumsy, he started humping away without having actually managed to… put it in… then spent ten minutes _trying _to get it in… it hurt… there was no foreplay at all… I mean, I heard there was meant to be a lead up or something."

"Usually," Shannon said.

"Preferably," Sophie agreed.

"And then when it was finally in, he went at it for a minute and a half, came, pulled out and fell asleep," Charlie explained. "The earth didn't even have time to move."

She shuddered. And yet again longed for Joey.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. Charlie felt like the whole case was spinning far, far out of her control. Avery and Angelo had gone straight over to bring Brax in for questioning but so far, they'd got nothing out of him. His only words had been 'no' and 'comment' for the whole afternoon and he was waiting for some top notch lawyer to arrive and sort the situation out.

Charlie wasn't sure if she was right or wrong about him but she was glad to at least have got him away from Joey for the time being. She was under no illusion that his presence had been threatening when he'd come to visit earlier in the day. She had also opted to stay as far away from the interview room as possible. The last thing she needed her colleagues to know at this stage was that she had hooked up with the guy only a few nights ago.

Escaping for some fresh air, the police officer headed down to the beach. She needed to clear her head, although she knew she never actually would. It was too full of Joey, more now than it ever had been, which in itself was quite a feat.

She looked up from where she was seated on the sand when a shadow fell over her.

"Joey!" she gasped, leaping to her feet.

Her former flame hovered anxiously, clenching and unclenching her hands.

"The police came and took Brax away," she said.

Charlie nodded.

"I know," she said.

They sat down on the ground together, side by side but not touching, looking out to sea.

"Hayley phoned me," Joey continued. "She was furious, wanting to know what happened, what I'd done."

"What _you'd _done?" Charlie wondered.

"She has a regular assumption that everything's my fault," Joey explained.

"Oh," Charlie said sadly.

"He called her, wanting legal representation but she wouldn't come," Joey said.

"Oh, _she's_ the lawyer?" Charlie asked, surprised. "He had to make a few calls."

Joey nodded.

"Why wouldn't she come?" Charlie asked.

"She doesn't want to be involved in the situation," Joey said.

"_Is _she involved in the situation?" Charlie asked.

Joey closed her eyes, thinking back to the morning that Hayley had forced her to go and see Robbo, the man that was now lying in the morgue, waiting for his death to be explained.

"Joey?" Charlie nudged when silence fell between them.

Joey sighed and turned to look at Charlie's beautiful face.

"Can I tell you the whole story from the beginning?" she asked. "Everything that I remember?"

* * *

_Next time… Joey begins her story…_


	18. Chapter 18

_Thank you for the welcome back. I may have to skip over 'What If?' and onto 'A Different Way' as I've fallen behind on that one and might not be able to catch up before the update tomorrow but I will do my best. I hope you enjoy today's instalment today though. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Eighteen**

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

"After you left, I fell apart," Joey admitted.

She and Charlie were still on the beach, seated side by side on the sand, both gazing out at the horizon.

"I waited every day for a letter but nothing ever came…"

"Joey, I explained…" Charlie interrupted.

"I know that now," Joey said gently.

She instinctively touched Charlie's hand. They both felt that old familiar spark between them. Neither of them drew away.

"But Mrs John just kept telling me that you'd moved on up, bettered yourself, realised that you didn't need me anymore," Joey continued. "I missed you so much. And I never stopped."

Charlie smiled sadly at her, thinking about how much she had missed her too. For all this time, Joey had been the first thing she had thought of in the morning, the last thing she'd thought of at night and she had echoed around her during every moment in between.

"I made another friend after a little while," Joey said, her heart still heavy with grief. "He's been my best mate ever since. We still hang out now, although Hayley's always done her best to intervene. She doesn't really like me having other friends."

She sighed heavily and looked down at the sand.

"We finished school and headed off into the big, wide world and tried to make something of ourselves," Joey explained, deliberately not mentioning Aden's name.

She didn't know much but she was pretty sure that he had brought her to the hospital and if the police hadn't identified him yet then all the better. She didn't want him in any kind of trouble for helping her, regardless of what he might or might not have done in between times. She figured he hadn't told her for a reason.

"As you know, I became a cop," Joey explained. "And I was pretty good at it too. I won an award and started to progress pretty quickly. The girl that was never going to amount to anything really started to make something of herself…"

She sighed again, still holding onto Charlie's hand.

"Then what happened?" Charlie asked when she didn't speak again.

"Then I met Hayley," Joey admitted.

"How… how did you meet her?" Charlie wondered.

She swallowed her own jealousy. She tried to fight it away. It wasn't like it was fair. And it also wasn't like Joey's relationship had turned out nicely. But at least she'd been able to have one. From the moment Charlie had been dragged, kicking and screaming away from the girl she loved, she had never been able to connect with another soul. She'd slept with Angelo once and Brax once and a handful of guys in between but she'd never managed anything more than one night stands. She'd barely remembered names. In fact, she'd deliberately gone with men because girls felt like they would tarnish the memory of what she and Joey had shared. Thinking about it now, she supposed, all this time, she had been waiting for the night that had never happened, the night that she and Joey had been waiting to spend together.

"Just in a bar," Joey said. "I'd never had a relationship before, apart from you. I'd had a handful of one night stands but nobody could ever compare to you."

"Until her," Charlie said sadly.

She looked up when Joey gripped her hand tighter.

"She is the last person on the planet that could ever compare to you," Joey said seriously.

They smiled at each other, both looking heartbroken.

"Nobody else ever could either," Joey added. "You were my first love, my last, my only."

Charlie squeezed her hand gently. She felt exactly the same. But again, this was Joey's story. She didn't want to interrupt. She wanted to give her the space and the time to talk. Her chance to respond and share would come.

"But I did like her at first," Joey mused.

Charlie's heart was torn between disappointment and the confusion that Joey didn't seem to actually like her own girlfriend anymore.

"She was self-assured and in control of her life," Joey said. "I admired that. I felt like I was still finding my way, still figuring out who I was. Still lost. I guess I still am."

She sighed and looked at the ground.

"I guess I always will be," she said.

"You won't be," Charlie told her certainly.

Joey looked up at her.

"Joey, I know you're in a dark place right now but I can help you out of it," the police officer insisted.

"You don't even know the story yet," Joey said sadly.

"Then tell me," Charlie replied.

She made eye contact. Joey took a deep breath and continued.

"We started dating and even though I still missed you, it was nice," she admitted. "Hayley had this vibrant, fun life and she included me in it. We went to parties and had a good time. It was hard to keep up sometimes but I enjoyed myself. Until…"

She trailed off.

"Until…?" Charlie nudged.

"Well, I always wondered where she found the energy," Joey explained awkward.

Charlie swallowed. She knew exactly where this was going.

"Hayley's one of those 'posh' addicts," Joey explained. "She thinks she's above it all because she doesn't do it in urine soaked streets. She pays a lot of money and snorts with the highest dollar bills."

She shook her head.

"I was disgusted by it," she admitted. "And as a cop, I was in a terrible position. It was my job to stop this kind of thing from happening and yet there I was, dating a drug addict. And her friends, friends that had become _my _friends… they were dealers. They made money from supplying people with all sorts of junk, from ruining people's lives, exploiting their weaknesses, their problems."

She shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. Suddenly, she felt like she had nothing left to lose. If she was going down in flames, everybody else may as well burn with her.

"And before you ask, yes, Brax is one of those people," she revealed. "And you can check out his brother, Heath while you're at it."

Charlie nodded, pleased that she already had Brax in custody. If she couldn't keep him for any involvement with Robert Cruze's death, then she could certainly open up some sort of drug related investigation and that would give her a hell of a lot of pleasure.

"We had our first fight over all of that," Joey continued. "It was awful. I had a voice back then. Well, you know that I was capable of standing up for myself, for other people, for what I felt was right. I was strong then, capable, independent. I knew myself. I argued my corner and she argued hers. But she did it better than me. Or worse, maybe."

She took a couple of breaths.

"When I wouldn't give up, she attacked me," she admitted. "She literally kicked the shit out of me and I only survived because I managed to crawl out of my apartment and far enough down the road that she gave up and trashed my belongings instead. I called my friend and he took me to the hospital."

Charlie put her arm around Joey and held her tight. She kissed the top of her head and closed her eyes, wanting to cry at the thought of the way the love of her life had been treated.

"If you pity me, pity the fact that I went back," Joey said quietly. "It's pathetic, isn't it? I should never, ever have ever looked at her again, talked to her, let alone been willing to give her another chance."

"Why did you?" Charlie wondered.

"She just… got under my skin," Joey sighed. "She kept visiting me at the hospital. I kept telling her to leave but she just kept coming. At first she apologised, promising to get help and everything. And then… there was… other stuff…"

"Other stuff?" Charlie asked.

"When were first got together, I thought she was the kind of person I could trust," Joey admitted awkwardly. "I told her the truth about me, about the home, Mrs John… you."

Charlie nodded thoughtfully, not quite sure what she was feeling.

"After the fight, when she was trying to make up and the apologies weren't working, she used it all against me," Joey explained. "She drew on every fear, every ounce of pain, everything… And I guess that's how embroiled in this life."

"What life?" Charlie asked, needing it to be spelled out.

"Bit by bit, I lost myself," Joey said. "I stopped socialising with my colleagues. I just… you know, worked my shift, came home, had nothing to say for myself, was drained of my personality."

Charlie nodded sadly.

"Everyone but the guy I'd made friends with at the children's home after you left, fell away from me," Joey continued. "Hayley did everything she could to get rid of him too but he wouldn't shift. Everyone else did eventually though."

Charlie was very aware that Joey hadn't dropped his name. And that it was deliberate.

"After fight one million and seven, I'd lost my gusto," Joey said. "At that point, I'd stopped arguing and moved in with her because she told me to. I gave up everything for her. She didn't want me to work so I stopped. She didn't want me to socialise so I stopped, although I couldn't give up that one friend. We didn't see each other as much as we'd like and she monitored calls but he was still there whenever I needed him."

She wiped her eyes with her free hand, still clinging to Charlie with the other.

"I had no money that was my own so she told me to close my bank account," Joey said. "She decided there was no need for privacy and independence so I had to get rid of my mobile phone, computer, email address, Facebook account… all that stuff."

She sat up and looked at Charlie.

"So that's me, Charlie," she said. "Or not me. That's the problem. I don't even exist anymore."

* * *

_Next time… Charlie tells Joey about her life in Summer Bay…_


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

"I'm so sorry for everything you've been through, Joey," Charlie said sincerely.

Joey forced a smile but it was full of sadness.

"It's my own fault," she said. "If I'd stopped being a victim then none of this would have happened. I should never have let it get this far. I don't even know how it did. I…"

She sighed. Charlie put her arm around her and felt Joey sink into her embrace.

"Don't you think this Hayley woman should take responsibility for abusing you?" Charlie wondered.

"Yes," Joey agreed. "But I need to accept my part too."

"I disagree," Charlie stated. "But let's not fight about."

Joey chuckled softly, happy to stay in Charlie's arms.

"So, have you missed me as much as I've missed you then?" Charlie asked with a cheeky grin.

Joey laughed again

"If you've missed me with every breath in your body then sure," she said.

"I have," Charlie said seriously.

"Will you tell me your story, Charlie?" Joey asked.

She knew she had more of her own to share, like how she ended up at the scene of such a serious crime, or at least as much as she remembered of it. But she hoped there would be time enough for that. For now, she just wanted to be with Charlie. She wanted to be held by her, smell her perfect scent and breathe in her shampoo. She wanted time to stop so she could forget about the world outside of this very moment.

"My story?" Charlie asked.

"Where have you been?" Joey asked. "What have you been doing since we parted?"

"Well, when Pippa and Michael took me away, they brought me here," Charlie explained. "It took me a while to settle because I was missing you so much. I cried a lot and although everyone at the house was lovely, it didn't feel like home for the longest time because you weren't there."

Joey was torn between feeling sad and feeling pleased that she had wanted her there.

"I kept writing to you but at the time, I thought you were ignoring me," Charlie continued. "I could kick myself now. I should have known that Mrs John wouldn't have let you get my messages."

She shook her head and sighed heavily.

"Pippa took pity on me at Christmas and helped me call the home to talk to you but we didn't get past Mrs John," Charlie explained. "She said she couldn't find you but that she'd pass the message on and get you to call back but when you didn't, I thought you didn't want to talk to me."

Joey turned her head, gazing up at Charlie.

"I would have talked to you forever if I'd known you'd phoned," she said sincerely.

Charlie kissed her temple and rested her cheek atop Joey's head. She wanted to hold her forever, never letting her go.

"I should have come back for you," Charlie said regretfully. "I should have found a way, tried harder."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because I got it into my head that you didn't love me anymore," she explained. "It was hard enough getting through the day with no letters from you but to go all the way back to the home and have you turn me away… I don't know what I would have done. But it wouldn't have been anything good."

Joey nodded. She understood where she was coming from.

"Tell me you had a good life without me though?" she asked hopefully.

"I did," Charlie said. "To a degree. I mean, I was lucky. I had a good family over here. Pippa and Michael are wonderful. They were the parents I always wanted. I mean, Pippa's the Mum I assumed my own Mum would have been if I'd have had the chance to know her properly."

Joey smiled sadly, thinking of the waste of space her own Mum had been.

"And it took me a while to trust Michael but he's great," Charlie said. "He's always there for me and the rest of the family, no matter what. He's so kind. He never let me down the way my own Dad did."

Joey hugged her a little tighter.

"And I have some wonderful siblings," Charlie said. "Two of them are still pretty much my best friends, alongside a colleague and housemate of mine. Their names are Shannon and Sophie. Sophie's a year older than us and she was there when I arrived. She looked after me and she helped me so much. She was pregnant when I got there and I ended up delivering her baby!"

Joey jerked away and stared at Charlie in shock.

"Excuse me?" she managed.

Charlie laughed self-consciously.

"I know!" she remarked.

"How did you manage that?" Joey wondered.

"I still don't know," Charlie admitted.

Joey came to rest in her arms again.

"It was an emergency," Charlie explained. "She and I and the boys – Blake, Shane and Damian had gone for a drive and we broke down. Sophie went into labour so there wasn't really a choice. The boys were just panicking so someone had to take charge and that someone was me."

She sighed.

"I guess I was the only one with any experience."

Joey held her hand a little tighter.

"I imagine it was pretty hard for you," she said softly.

"It was," Charlie admitted.

A tear crept out. She had never spoken of her pain in all these years. Nobody in Summer Bay knew about Ruby. The last time she'd had a conversation about her had been with Joey and that had been a very long time ago now. So nobody knew how excruciating Tamara's birth had been. And nobody knew that being made her Godmother had been both wonderful and awful at the same time.

"Does anyone know about Ruby?" Joey asked. "Anyone here? Your family?"

"No," Charlie said. "It's still just our secret."

Joey sighed.

"I still think about her every day," Charlie said sadly.

"So do I," Joey admitted.

Charlie turned slightly to look at her.

"Do you?" she asked, mildly surprised.

"Yes," Joey said. "We would have…"

She stopped and shook her head. Charlie nudged her to continue.

"It doesn't matter," Joey said apologetically.

"It does," Charlie insisted, keeping her voice gentle.

"I was going to say that we would have probably found her by now," Joey said quietly.

Her voice was full of anxiety, fear even, that she would say something wrong.

"You know, in the life we were planning to have?"

"Yeah," Charlie whispered. "It was going to be a pretty awesome life, wasn't it?"

"It was," Joey agreed.

"That bitch, Mrs John has a lot to answer for," Charlie complained.

"We should hunt her down," Joey said with mock fierceness.

"Absolutely," Charlie chuckled.

"We could hide a prawn in that ridiculous hair of hers," Joey suggested. "She wouldn't find it for weeks. She'd smell terrible and people would stop even pretending to like her!"

Charlie burst out laughing.

"And _then _we could arrest her for her crimes against children," she said.

"Yep," Joey sighed. "Evil bitch."

"Evil bitch indeed."

They fell silent, both reminiscing over what they had lost.

"What do you think she's like?" Charlie asked softly.

"Ruby?"

"Yes."

"Well, she'd be fifteen now," Joey said. "Approaching sixteen. I think she'll be very beautiful, like her mother. Very popular and confident, sure of herself without being arrogant. Bright but not nerdy."

Charlie grinned.

"Driven, knows what she wants, caring… I think she's got all the wonderful traits of her Mum and nothing of the other half of her genetic make-up," Joey concluded.

Charlie felt extra affection at her phrasing. Without thinking, she kissed the top of Joey's head. Joey closed her eyes. For a moment, it felt like the old days.

"So, you've got a happy family here?" Joey probed.

"Yes," Charlie said. "I've got Pippa and Michael and some wonderful siblings. Some good friends. I'd love for you to meet them all sometime."

Joey smiled but felt sad that she couldn't commit. As much as she longed for it, this wasn't the old days. This was reality. They lived very different lives now.

"I wish we'd found each other another way," she said sadly.

"Me too," Charlie said. "But we can still make this work, Joey."

"How?"

"You can tell me what you remember of what happened that day," Charlie urged. "We can piece it together. Figure it out."

Joey sighed. She knew she couldn't avoid it any longer.

* * *

_Next time… While their younger selves are in love, Joey and Charlie try to figure out how Robbo died…_


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

**December 1997 (Age 15)**

Charlie and Joey were on Joey's bed, engaging in a heavy make out session. Things were becoming more and more passionate between them these days as they fell more deeply in love. They were determined to wait until they were sixteen and they were determined that when they took that step, it was going to be perfect and it was going to be right.

"I love you so much," Charlie breathed, wrapped her arms around Joey's neck and pulling her closer.

Joey smiled and kissed her again. She snuggled into her embrace.

"I love you too," she replied softly. "We'll always be together, won't we?"

"Of course," Charlie said. "There's nothing on earth that could separate us."

Joey smiled, trusting her completely.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

"That man…" Joey said. "His name's Robbo. I don't know much more about him than he's a dealer."

Her voice was shaking, aware that her whole world could implode in just a moment and it could be all her fault. All this time, she had been conditioned to keep her mouth shut and just one look at Charlie had undone all of Hayley's hard work.

"Who does he deal to?" Charlie asked quietly.

"All of Hayley's lot," Joey said. "Brax and that. Well, they're more business partners really. Brax and his brother Heath are involved in all sorts."

"What kind of all sorts?" Charlie wondered.

"I don't know," Joey said honestly. "I try to stay out of it all. But they've always got some sort of scam on the go. Everything they're involved with is dodgy, you know?"

Charlie nodded.

"There are always shady characters hanging around."

"Do they _use _drugs?" Charlie asked.

Joey nodded.

"Including Hayley?"

Joey nodded again.

"Including you?"

"No!" Joey protested, jerking her head up sharply.

She looked helplessly at Charlie, panic on her face.

"No, Charlie, I'm not into that," she said desperately. "I swear, I'm not. I swear."

Charlie held onto her.

"I believe you," she promised. "I believe you. But I had to ask."

Joey took a couple of breaths and nodded, calming down. She apologised.

"I just didn't want you to think I was anything like them," she admitted. "I hate them."

She looked shocked for a moment. The words had just slipped out. She hadn't been able to curb or control them in any way. Charlie definitely brought out the honesty in her.

"I understand," Charlie assured her.

Silence fell between them for a moment.

"So, they're into drugs and shady business," Charlie nudged. "Hayley, Brax, Heath and this Robbo character, the one that died…"

"Yes," Joey said. "Only Hayley got into some sort of trouble with Robbo."

"Do you know what kind of trouble?" Charlie asked carefully.

"No," Joey said honestly. "I presume she owed him money or something. She kept telling me I had to see him in order to pay him off."

"Do you know what she meant by that?" Charlie asked, the words almost sticking in her throat.

"I think I was supposed to have sex with him," Joey confessed.

She hung her head, feeling sick. Charlie tightened her arm around her, not feeling any better.

"That's what he demanded anyway," Joey continued sadly.

Charlie could detect genuine fear in her voice.

"And Hayley told me, when she drove me over there, that I had to do exactly what he demanded, that I had to pay her debt in full and then everything would be okay," Joey said. "She said I'd be saving her and that things would change if I'd just do this one, small thing."

Charlie frowned. It didn't seem like a small thing at all and she hated what the love of her life had evidently been put through.

"I was naive," Joey admitted unhappily. "Even when she drove me over to the house, I didn't quite understand what was expected of me. Looking back now, I should have realised. I was shocked when he made his move. I panicked. And I… I don't remember what happened next."

"Joey, you can tell me…" Charlie persisted.

"Charlie, I don't remember!" Joey said. "I'm not lying!"

"Okay," Charlie said. "I'm sorry."

"He leapt at me. I pushed him away. He leapt harder. I couldn't stop him."

She winced, pained at the memory of what had happened to her.

"But I really don't remember anything else until I woke up with you at the hospital," she said. "I guess we struggled or something. But I don't know how he got hurt. I don't know how _I _got hurt."

"Do you know how you got to the hospital?" Charlie asked, thinking of Brax who was hopefully still languishing in a cell at the police station.

"No," Joey said softly, thinking of Aden.

She hated lying to Charlie about that bit. She had been genuine and honest right up to that question but she couldn't do anything that might incriminate her best friend. She didn't know for sure that he had had any involvement but logic said that he was the one who'd brought her in. He had rescued her enough times and he'd hinted a couple of times when he'd visited her. But she couldn't repay all the kindness he'd shown over the years by highlighting him to the police. She loved him too much.

"Do you think it could have been Brax?" Charlie asked.

"Maybe," Joey lied.

"Is he likely to have been involved in any of this somehow?"

"Well, he's always involved in Hayley's schemes and stuff so I'd be shocked if he wasn't part of it somewhere down the line," Joey said, glad to be honest again.

"Thank you for telling me what you know, Joey," Charlie said.

Joey smiled weakly and sank against her.

"It's nice to be able to share with someone," she admitted. "To feel like myself again, even if only for a little while."

Charlie matched her sad smile, understanding what she meant.

"What happens now?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, are you going back to that horrible woman?" Charlie asked a little too bluntly.

"Well, I think she's left me," Joey pointed out, reminding Charlie that she hadn't been at home when she'd brought her back there.

"You know she'll come back eventually," Charlie said. "Abusers always do."

"Maybe not," Joey said hopefully. "Maybe this scared her off and she's run off for good. Maybe _she _killed Robbo and she won't return her again."

The longing for reality in her voice was crystal clear.

"Maybe," Charlie said, although she didn't really believe it.

When someone had that much control over another person, they didn't often let them go, not just like that.

"But if that's not that case and you want to escape, might you want to come up with a contingency plan?" the police officer suggested.

"There's no point," Joey said. "The only time I ever felt safe was when I was with you and that's over now."

"It doesn't have to be," Charlie said, holding onto her hand. "We can get you out of this."

"No," Joey insisted. "It's too late."

"It's not."

"It is. It's far too late for me."

* * *

_Next time… Teenage Charlie and Joey are happy together, 'twenties' Joey tries to leave Hayley and 'thirties' Charlie is determined to set Joey free…_


	21. Chapter 21

_For Jensy25. 'See' you all on Wednesday! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Twenty One**

**January 2009 (Age 27)**

"I can't believe I'm really doing this," Joey muttered.

It was her twenty seventh birthday and nothing had gone to plan except that it had gone wrong, as one would naturally have expected. The idea had been that she, Hayley, Aden and the rest of their 'friends', namely Brax and Heath would go for dinner and then onto a party, except that Hayley had changed her mind at the last minute and wanted to skip the dinner. Joey, who had been looking forward to the dinner more than that party, hadn't caught herself in time. She had let her face fall for just a second and Hayley had flipped. There had been a massive row, Joey's birthday had been essentially cancelled and she had been left at home alone until Aden had shown up on her door.

After a series of abusive texts and phone calls, Joey had surprised herself by reaching the decision that she was going to leave once and for all. And Aden had been more than happy to support her decision and go with her.

"I'm proud of you, Jo," he enthused. "This is the start of the rest of our lives."

"Thank you for not giving up on me," Joey said sincerely. "I think anyone else would have."

"Maybe anyone with half a brain," Aden teased. "But fortunately for you, I only have a quarter of one."

Joey giggled and swatted him playfully on the arm. They stood and she cast one last glance around the place she called home but had never actually felt like it. Taking a deep breath, she led the way through the front door.

* * *

It was a whole two days before Hayley managed to claw Joey back. She gave Joey the worst beating to date and denied her access to a hospital for a further two days, just to punish her some more. While they were waiting for the paramedics, she leaned in and whispered that her precious Aden would get worse if she dared run away again. And so she had never tried.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

"Joey, please let me find you somewhere else to go," Charlie begged.

Evening was drawing in. They had been on the beach for a long time, half the day, in fact. Joey sighed. It was more than tempting. All she wanted in the world was to give in and let Charlie take care of her. But she knew not even this beautiful, wonderful woman could make everything okay, no matter how hard she tried.

"I'm fine," she said, putting her brave face on.

The last thing she wanted was for Charlie to come to any harm. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if anything like that happened.

"Joey…"

"Charlie, I know what I'm doing…"

"Really?" Charlie challenged. "Because if you go back to that bitch then I'd seriously question that statement."

"Well, she probably won't even be around for a while," Joey said. "Not until the heat's died down anyway so I'll be safe for a little while."

"You need to be safe forever," Charlie insisted.

Joey sighed. She lifted Charlie's hand and kissed it softly.

"Sometimes it's just not possible," she said, her voice etched with sadness.

"But it could be," Charlie protested, her hand tingling. "Joey, if you just let me help you…"

"If I let you try, we'll both get hurt," Joey said. "It's not worth putting you at risk."

"I'm a cop," Charlie reminded her. "I can handle myself."

"I was a cop too," Joey said. "And look what happened to me."

* * *

**November 1997 (Age 15)**

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon and, having completed their chores and their homework, Charlie and Joey had eagerly escaped to their hideout. Like a lot of kids their age, they seemed to spend a lot of time roaming but liked to think they were never up to no good.

During various jaunts through the park and the surrounding woods, they had found an old abandoned tree house that they had fixed up and now spent a lot of time in. They'd even considered making it the location of their first time but try as they might they just couldn't think of a way to get a comfortable bed up there!

"I hope this is how we spend all of our days," Joey mused happily.

Snuggled up on cushions they had been sneaking out of the home in pairs over the past few months, the couple were more than contented.

"There's no hope about it," Charlie said certainly. "Of course we will be."

Joey grinned.

"I love your faith in us," she said sincerely.

Charlie shifted so that she could look into Joey's beautiful brown eyes.

"How could I not have faith in us?" she said. "I look at you and I can't feel anything but happy. Even when I think about all the sad stuff we've been through, everything we've both lost, my heart still sings for all that we've got. I feel so lucky. I feel so complete."

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Joey arrived back at her thankfully still empty house. She flopped down on the sofa and rubbed her temples. She had a headache brewing and she knew it would be the first of many. Sometimes it felt like her whole life was a headache. She wondered where Hayley was and if she was coming back soon. She hoped not. She hoped she would stay away forever. And that Brax and his horrible little gang would go away and join her. Sighing heavily, she longed for Aden to receive her telepathic messages and come round. She didn't have the energy to find him and unless she did that, she was isolated.

* * *

Charlie returned to work as soon as she reluctantly dropped Joey back at home. She wasn't due back on shift until the morning but it just couldn't wait.

"Nick, I need to speak to you," she said urgently.

"What's up, Charlie?" her boss asked. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought you'd be well at home by now."

"This whole case is way bigger than we thought," Charlie declared.

She promised herself to be careful about confidentiality but she was going to save Joey if it was the last thing she did.

* * *

_Next time… the case gathers momentum…_


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty Two**

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Charlie stayed up working with Nick long into the night. Careful to protect Joey as well as she could, she told her superior everything she knew about Hayley and Brax and everything they had been getting up to over the last few years. She mentioned the drugs and suspected the violence, although couldn't declare anything concrete. The last thing she wanted was to break any trust she and Joey had developed today.

"So, what do you think?" Charlie asked when she was done.

Nick took his time in answering, weighing up everything he had been told.

"I think it's enough to question this Braxton guy again," he said. "We're entitled to hold him overnight on suspicion of involvement in the murder so we can quiz him on the drugs and press him further on how he knows Cruze and Collins."

Charlie knew he was being deliberately careful to keep Joey at the professional distance. And she knew that he knew she was struggling to do the same.

"And in the meantime, I think it's worth trying to get a warrant for his home," Nick said. "Do you think Joanne would let us search her place or would we need a warrant for that? In case her partner has anything stashed?"

"I'm not sure," Charlie said. "She's pretty scared of her. And of course, the risk there is that Joey could get into trouble. If drugs are found on the property, this Hayley girl could pin them on Joey."

"Do you think she could be involved?"

"No," Charlie said quickly. "No, she wouldn't be involved in anything like that."

Nick sighed and leant forward. He took his badge off and nodded for Charlie to do the same. Then he took both her hands in his, looking into her eyes.

"I'm talking to you as a friend now," he said. "I'm talking to you as someone who knew you before you were even in uniform, when you were just a kid in high school – before you were Senior Constable Buckton, when you were just Charlie."

Charlie nodded.

"I believe that you will do your best in this case," Nick said. "But I also know you're struggling with it because you have a connection with this girl. So I need you to be honest with me, okay? I need you to come to me, take your badge off, tell me things off the record and know they go no further. We have to work together on this. If you think Joey is innocent, then we can prove it. But it has to be transparent, Charlie. Please don't hide stuff from me."

"I won't," Charlie promised. "I'll be honest."

"Okay, good," Nick said. "We can do this. I believe you when you say you think she's innocent and has just been caught up in some crap. But I also need you to be open to the other side. If it turns out that…"

"It won't but… I do understand," Charlie said.

They both nodded.

"And you'll keep me in the loop like you have tonight?" Nick asked. "You'll be honest?"

"I will," Charlie said.

"So, is there anything I need to know right now?" Nick asked.

"Such as?" Charlie asked.

She wanted to be honest with him. As well as a boss, he had been a good, kind friend to her over the years. But she loved Joey and she respected her confidentiality.

"Such as why this girl means so much to you for a start," Nick said.

Charlie felt a slight colour touch her cheek.

"She's my soul mate," she admitted. "I've loved her for as long as I've known her, even when she hasn't been in my life."

Nick nodded, not looking surprised. He patted her leg.

"Thank you for telling me," he said. "Please don't let it cloud your judgement."

"I won't, Nick," she assured him.

They put their badges back on and returned to cop mode.

* * *

Brax was furious by the time an officer came to unlock his cell.

"What the fuck are you people playing at?" he snapped, immediately approaching the heavy, iron gate. "I've been stuck in here all fucking day! I've got a life, you know. I've got a business to run."

"And that's exactly what we want to talk to you about next," Watson told him calmly, letting him out of the cell and guiding him towards the interview room he was already familiar with.

Like Charlie and Nick, she and Angelo had both signed on for more overtime. With such a heavy case on their hands, everyone at the station was working flat out.

"What now?" Brax snapped.

He was just about ready to kill Joey and Hayley both. Hayley was meant to be his lawyer but she was nowhere to be seen. She'd refused his calls at first and when he'd finally been able to get through to her, she'd just refused to come. They both knew she was up to her eyes in this Robbo mess and while he'd believed that she was a loyal friend and associate all this time, it turned out that she would save herself well above him when the proverbial hit.

As for Joey, it never took much for him to be willing to take things out on her. Well, it never took much for anyone in their circle to be ready to do that. She just brought it out in people, especially Hayley. But the biggest thing he had been questioned on so far was whether he had been responsible for bringing her to the hospital. Therefore, he blamed her for everything. It was also getting increasingly difficult to explain to the police that he was more likely to kill Joey or leave her for dead than even consider trying to help her in any way, without making him look like a monster – or a suspect in Robbo's death. It was all very complicated and annoying.

"What line of business are you in, Mr Braxton?" Watson asked, sitting down in front of him.

Nick was assisting with the interview but he had offered to let Watson take the lead, wanting to increase her experience and encourage her confidence.

"A bit of this," Brax said vaguely. "A bit of that."

"I need something a bit more specific," Watson replied.

"Buying and selling mostly," Brax told her. "I have my finger in a few pies."

"Pies made of drugs?" Watson asked.

"Where the hell did you get drugs from?" Brax asked.

"I was about to ask you the same question," Watson replied.

Nick allowed himself a small, impressed smile.

* * *

Charlie knocked politely on Joey's door. It was late and she didn't like to disturb her but she was aware that Hayley could drop back home at any time and she wanted to get everything done quickly, quietly and with as little fuss as possible, preferably without a warrant.

"Hello?" Joey called anxiously through the door.

"Joey, it's Charlie," the police officer called. "I'm here officially."

She heard Joey scrape the locks back and pull the door open.

"What's happened?" Joey asked, her face pale and tired.

Charlie still thought she was beautiful.

"I was wondering if you'd let us take a little look around?" the Senior Constable asked hopefully, glancing back at her colleague.

"What for?" Joey asked.

"We're not exactly sure," Charlie said. "But we really need to find out exactly what led to the death of Robert Cruze."

"Charlie, I swear I didn't do it," Joey said, sounding genuinely petrified.

Charlie glanced back at her colleague, quietly asking for some privacy. She nodded and stepped away. Charlie stepped closer to Joey.

"I know you didn't do anything," she said sincerely. "So I have to do whatever it takes to prove that. Please trust me?"

Joey looked torn but nodded. She stepped aside and let Charlie and her colleague in.

* * *

Across the street, Angelo and another colleague knocked rather less politely on the Braxton house. Armed with warrant, they ignored Heath, Cheryl and Casey's protests and tore the place apart, looking for anything and everything that could possibly be relevant or illegal.

"Well, you've made this easy already," Angelo remarked, having immediately seized a small stash of pot in Casey Braxton's bedroom.

He seemed unlikely to be involved in anything too untoward, being only sixteen, but it was certainly a start.

"Look, what the hell are you even doing here?" Heath, the middle brother demanded, blocking the entrance to his little brother's bedroom. "Barging into my house in the middle of the night? Arresting Brax for what? Going to a hospital or something? That's what I heard. It's fucking ridiculous!"

"Your room's next," Angelo told him, calling out to a colleague to arrest Casey for possession.

He refused to feel guilty at just how bewildered the youngest brother looked.

"Ah, well, there's enough here for at least intent to supply," Angelo informed a horrified Heath.

The idiot hadn't even managed to try and hide anything. They'd evidently been having a private party when the cops had swooped in. The brains behind their idiotic operation was languishing in a cell at the police station.

"That's not mine," Heath said lamely.

"Well, now, I don't believe you," Angelo mocked. "I think you've been a very naughty boy."

"Angelo!" Avery called up the stairs. "We've hit the jackpot!"

* * *

_Next time… while in 2012, the investigation continues, teenage Shannon has a crush on Shane, Charlie and her friends have an encounter with the River Boys, and Angel arrives in Summer Bay…_


	23. Chapter 23

_Sorry I didn't update yesterday. I've been very poorly. This chapter is dedicated to Blue1927. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Twenty Three**

**June 1999 (Age 17)**

Charlie was enjoying a Saturday afternoon on the beach with Shane, Damian, Fin, Shannon, Blake and baby Tamara. She missed Joey still. Every day, she woke up and her heart searched for her. It felt wrong that they weren't in the same place, enjoying their lives together. But she was relieved that she, at least, had settled in a happy place, with a good family. She was lucky. And she hoped that whatever Joey was doing now, whatever was keeping her from replying to her letters and getting in touch, she was happy.

"I still can't understand why you and Shane haven't been dating for a year already," Shannon mused, lying beside her foster sister on their beach towels. "If he'd have been pestering _me _for a date from the moment I arrived in the Bay, I would have snapped him up right away."

She sighed rather dreamily as she watched Shane mucking about with Damian and Blake in the sea, splashing each other and ducking each other under the water.

"If you like him, why don't you ask _him _out?" Sophie suggested, chuckling in amusement.

"No, I couldn't!" Shannon blushed.

Charlie giggled. The sixteen year old redhead was never backwards in coming forwards. She was far from shy and certainly hadn't been struggling for male attention since she had appeared in Summer Bay. She'd even arrived with a secret boyfriend, although that had ended quickly. But for some reason, she turned into a puddle of mush around Shane. It was actually rather sweet.

"Why not?" Fin wondered.

"Well, he's not interested for a start," Shannon pointed out. "He likes Charlie."

"He's a walking hormone," Charlie said dismissively. "He only likes me because I happened to walk into his life at a particular moment. I could have been anybody. But you and Shane chat all the time, you have loads in common. If you like him, then it could be something special."

"But remember that he's a complete rogue with a string of broken hearts behind him," Sophie added.

Charlie and Fin both frowned at her.

"What?" Sophie protested. "She needs to go into it with her eyes open. I don't want her to get hurt!"

"She does have a good point," Fin conceded. "Shane is very good a hurting people."

"Well, I think he just needs the love of a good woman to tame him a bit," Charlie said. "And it could be you."

Shannon smiled wistfully and returned her gaze to the water where the boys were still messing around. Charlie continued to look amused. She turned her head to look at Sophie and Tamara when the little one, now fourteen months old started crying.

"What's wrong, Tammy?" Charlie asked.

Tamara kept screaming.

"She doesn't want to stay still," Sophie explained.

She'd learnt the art of crawling over the last few months, which meant that she was constantly on the go. That was fine at home and in safe places but on the beach, it meant that Sophie would have to constantly chase after her.

"Well, we can all explore with her," Charlie offered. "Can't we, girls?"

"What?" Shannon asked.

She wasn't all that keen on kids, if she was being honest.

"We're being lazy and unhelpful," Charlie told her. "Tammy needs play time."

Then she set about facilitating it.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

"Good work, everyone," Nick congratulated when his team were finally ready to finish their shift.

It was well into the early hours of the morning and everyone was exhausted. He was ready to send them all home for at least a few hours' sleep before they were due to return for the next shift, ready to tackle the Braxtons, who were all now in custody, including Cheryl, their mother, who had kicked off and punched Angelo for 'attacking' her boys.

Under the floorboards in the living room, Avery had found a huge stash of cocaine. There was no way that anybody could argue it was just for personal use and whether it was connected to Robert Cruze or not, they had certainly managed to bag themselves a couple of dealers. And those dealers were at least connected to Cruze, according to what Joey had told Charlie.

"Now go home, grab some sleep and then come in as refreshed as you can in a few hours," the Sergeant instructed. "Or at least caffeinated."

Angelo chuckled as he followed Watson out of the building. Nick stopped Charlie as she followed her housemates, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"You did well, Charlie," he said sincerely.

"Thank you, Sir," she replied.

* * *

**June 1999 (Age 17)**

"So, which one of you got knocked up so young?" a male voice sneered.

Charlie, Sophie, Fin and Shannon all looked up to find a gang of boys with surf boards standing over them, obviously pausing on their way down to the water.

"What the hell has it got to do with you?" Shannon snapped.

Charlie cringed. The last thing they needed was any trouble.

"Just asking," said a dark haired, tattooed boy around their age.

Charlie didn't recognise any of the boys at the front from their school and suspected they were from the neighbouring town, Mangrove River.

"Well stop asking then," Shannon told him.

"We were only asking because if one of you is that easy that you got knocked up, maybe you'd have a go with one of us," the boy smirked.

Sophie looked down, feeling ashamed and uncertain. Charlie snorted.

"Nobody in the world would ever be that easy to go with any of you," she shot back.

Everyone in her group was surprised, including herself. The boy dropped his surf board.

"What the fuck did you say?" he demanded, charging towards her.

Instinct took over and Charlie stood up. There was no way she would let him step anywhere near the baby. Sophie immediately clutched Tammy towards her. The other girls shrank back. Shane, Damian and Blake noticed the confrontation from the water and hurried out, ready to attack, feeling protective of Charlie. The surfer made a grab for Charlie, who was disappointed to see a flash of her foster brother, Jack, in the background, hanging around with the likes of these horrible boys.

"Leave my friend alone!" Shane yelled, making a grab for the leader of the surfing gang.

"And what the hell are you going to do about it?" the boy snapped.

Shane shoved him into another boy, who immediately threw a punch. Shane threw a punch back.

"Oi!" yelled a voice.

Everyone looked up to see Nick, in uniform, running towards them. The offending gang ran off, as did Jack, leaving only a confused looking stranger, a hippy looking girl behind.

"What happened?" Nick asked, unable to catch up with the thugs.

"Sorry," Charlie said glumly.

"What are you apologising for?" Sophie asked.

"Well, I shouldn't have…"

"You were brilliant," Shannon said. "You stood up for Soph. And Shane stood up for you."

She smiled rather dreamily at the blonde boy, who had a cut lip. He looked flustered and in pain.

"Who are you?" he demanded of the girl who had remained behind.

"I'm Angel," she replied.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Exhausted, Charlie lay in bed, her mind full of confusion. Even more than usual, she couldn't stop thinking about Joey. It was all she could do to stop herself from going over there right now to see her. They'd searched the house but not found any drugs. However, they'd taken various address books and documents that linked Hayley to Robbo. Joey had also allowed them to take her girlfriend's computer, which would hopefully give them a lot of information. Those things told a lot more about a person than one would think.

Across town, Joey tossed and turned. Charlie had given her a business card with her mobile number. She had also written down her address and home phone number and told her more than once to contact her immediately for any reason. She had also begged her several times to just come home with her so that she could keep her safe. Joey had longed to do just that, to be with her, to abandon all her fears and be close to her again. But she was paralysed, confined to her life, her prison.

* * *

_Next time… Teenage Charlie impresses Nick, adult Charlie falls out with Angelo and while the investigation continues, Joey makes a decision…_


	24. Chapter 24

_Hi everyone. I hope you've all been well over the last few days. We're all still waiting for the arrival of the latest addition to our family. My sister (in law) has been in hospital since Tuesday but the baby just doesn't want to come out yet! But anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Twenty Four**

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

After very little sleep, Charlie hauled herself out of bed and into the shower. She threw her uniform on and sorted her hair and makeup out before hurrying downstairs. Watson was already in the kitchen, brewing some coffee.

"Ah, brilliant," Charlie said. "I'm gasping. Is there enough for me?"

"Of course," her housemate said pleasantly. "And I've made you some toast too."

"I don't think I've got time for…"

"Sit," Watson instructed. "Eat."

Sensing the strict warning tone, Charlie sat. Watson put a plate with two slices of buttered toast in front of her. Seeing it, she realised how hungry she was and immediately began to tuck in. Watson smiled as Charlie thanked her. She began eating her own breakfast at the same time as pouring out three coffees. Angelo then thundered down the stairs, complaining that he was running late.

"Oh, you're still here too," he realised.

"Coffee and toast on the way," Watson told him.

He relaxed and sat down beside Charlie, immediately eating his share. Charlie nudged him and he remembered to thank his housemate for the breakfast. Watson chuckled to herself and joined them at the table.

"I wonder what today will bring at work," she mused.

"A conclusion, I hope," Angelo said. "Find out who bumped this guy off."

"My money's on one of the Braxtons," Charlie said. "Or one of their associates."

"Like the girl you refuse to accept is the most obvious suspect?" Angelo challenged.

Watson kicked him under the table.

"What?" he snapped. "The way we're all pussy footing about is ridiculous. What is the deal with you and that girl, Charlie?"

"It's none of your business," Charlie snapped back.

"It is when she's a suspect in a case," he argued.

"Look, Joey is someone from my past who was and still is very important to me," Charlie said stiffly. "I know her well enough that it's extremely unlikely that she would commit a murder, even by accident. I've talked everything through with Nick, who is my superior and I do _not _need to explain myself to you."

"Not even as a friend?" Angelo asked quietly, sounding genuinely wounded.

Charlie studied his face, feeling sad. Even after their mistaken fumble all those years ago, they had clawed back their old friendship and been close. But over the last few days, some sort of gulf had formed between them. She felt like she couldn't connect with him anymore.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It just is what it is. I can promise you that I will always act with integrity, even if it does turn out that Joey's guilty. But I can't disclose more than that."

"We trust you, Charlie," Watson put in.

The women smiled affectionately at each other.

"Thank you," Charlie said.

* * *

**June 1999 (Age 17)**

"Well, what the hell do you think you were all playing at, starting on us?" Shane demanded of the newcomer.

"Shane, I think you need to calm it down," his brother, Nick interjected.

"No!" Shane snapped. "She and her stupid mates just started hassling the girls for no damn reason! It was out of the blue. Wasn't it?"

He turned to his friends for support.

"It was," Charlie agreed. "But to be fair, Angel didn't do anything."

She turned to the blonde girl in the long flowing skirt, studying her curiously.

"Why were you with them?" Sophie wondered. "They're jerks."

"Yeah," Angel said awkwardly. "I'm not really. They just…"

She looked anxious, twisting her hands together under the scrutiny of everyone's stare.

"Are you new in town?" Charlie asked kindly. "I don't think I've seen you round here before."

"Yeah," Angel said, almost relieved. "I just arrived yesterday. I was exploring and those guys started talking to me and invited me down to the beach. I don't really even know them. I don't even know their names I just…"

"You just got swept up with them," Charlie concluded.

She turned to Shane, whose fists were still clenched in fury over what had happened.

"It wasn't her fault," she said gently, touching his arm.

He slowly began to relax his stance.

"Okay," he said, exhaling slowly, shoving his hands in the pockets on his board shorts. "But I don't recommend you hanging round with them again."

"I won't," Angel said tightly. "Not that I appreciate you telling me what to do."

Nick silently noted how impressed he was with Charlie's handling of the situation. It took quite a person to calm his hot headed brother down.

"Nick?" Charlie said, getting his attention. "I don't want to get anyone into trouble but I'm sure I saw our brother, Jack in that group."

Nick nodded.

"I'm on it," he promised, hurrying away.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Having confessed, if only to Nick, to her one night stand with Brax, Charlie had managed to avoid interviewing him. Nick had taken that job instead, Angelo had been saddled with Heath, Watson had taken Cheryl and Charlie found herself sat opposite Casey and his appropriate adult, selected by social services, considering the rest of his family were currently incarcerated.

"So, you've been a naughty boy, haven't you?" she said, although she didn't want to be too hard on him.

He was really just a sixteen year old kid who had made a mistake. She doubted very much that he was involved in anything his brothers were, anything resembling dealing or murder.

"I've never done cocaine or whatever it was you found in the house," Casey said desperately.

Charlie smiled just a little. The youngest Braxton obviously hadn't been trained as well as his brothers in keeping his mouth shut, adding to her theory that he wasn't involved in anything they were.

"I'm sure you haven't," she agreed. "I'm more interested in all the pot we found in your room. Are you telling me none of that was yours? Because the joint was half smoked."

Casey hung his head.

"I was just trying it," he said glumly.

"And who gave it to you?"

Casey shrugged.

"Okay, let me narrow it down," Charlie suggested. "Was it Darryl or Heath?"

The teenager looked up sharply, looking panicked.

"Look, I know you think you're breaking some River Boy code of conduct, Casey, but it's not the case," Charlie told him. "Your brothers are involved in a lot of bad stuff. They're in a lot of trouble. You strike me as an innocent kid who's accidentally got himself caught up in something he shouldn't have. I want to let you go without charge. But I need to know where… _who _you got the drugs from."

Casey looked helplessly at his appropriate adult, who thankfully didn't have any connection to the family. The woman, a pretty blonde with kind features, nodded.

"Heath," Casey mumbled quietly. "He just said I could try it."

"Thank you," Charlie said. "I might need you to confirm that it writing at some point but I'll try and avoid it. Now, I have your family in custody. Do you have a friend you can stay with for the night? I don't want to send you home on your own."

"I _am_ sixteen," Casey pointed out sourly. "I'm not a kid."

"I know," Charlie said. "But you've been through a lot tonight and I don't want you to be alone."

"I could call a mate if you give me my phone back," he said.

Charlie nodded and told him to wait he was while she retrieved his things.

* * *

Still unable to sleep, Joey was pacing the living room. She'd gone through two mugs of hot chocolate and bitten her nails to the quick. She ached all over and felt sick. Finally, she gave in and headed upstairs, throwing her clothes on in order to get dressed. She'd made a decision. She was going to find Charlie. She was going to save herself.

Coming downstairs, she grabbed her keys and opened the front door, ready to step out into the night. She stopped short when she came face to face with Hayley.

* * *

_Next time… teenage Shannon still has a thing for Shane, 2011 Hayley and Aden hate each other and in present day, someone works out who the killer is…_


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty Five**

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

"And where do you think you're going?" Hayley asked.

Without giving Joey a chance to respond, she shoved her backwards. Joey sprawled back on the floor, startled and distraught to have waited so long and so missed the chance to escape. Hayley strode into the living room, kicking the door shut behind her. She tossed her keys onto the table and kicked her boots off. She plonked herself down on the sofa and watched as Joey struggled to her feet.

"So?" she barked. "Where were you going at this time of night?"

"Just for a walk," Joey mumbled, managing to get to her feet.

"In the middle of the night?" Hayley challenged.

"I needed to clear my head," Joey said. "There's been a lot going on."

"So I've heard," Hayley remarked. "I gather the cops have got all the Braxtons locked up."

Joey shoved her hands in her pockets and perched on the edge of the opposing armchair.

"They let Casey go," she said quietly.

"Oh, _that's _alright then," Hayley said sarcastically. "As long as they let that little brat go, it doesn't matter that my right hand man is behind bars! And his little henchman."

She rolled her eyes and then fixed her glare on Joey, who tried not to look terrified.

"This whole fucking mess is all your fucking fault," she accused.

Joey looked taken aback but wasn't actually that surprised. Generally, everything turned out to be her fault somehow.

"If you'd have just behaved and done what I told you, none of this would have happened," Hayley insisted. "But no, you wouldn't sleep with Robbo, would you? Not even to get me out of the shit."

She looked disgusted, like she had requested something mild of her.

"And now the police are crawling all over our lives because you murdered him!" Hayley exclaimed.

"I didn't murder him!" Joey insisted.

Hayley looked shocked and then amused at her sudden backbone. She raised an eyebrow and looked her up and down.

"Well, now, what's got you so bold?" she wondered.

"Nothing," Joey said more quietly. "Except that I didn't kill anybody."

"Well who else could have, Joey?" Hayley asked. "Because I know I didn't and regardless of what that stupid bitch at the police station seems to think, I know Brax didn't. Apparently there's some sort of CCTV that might look like Brax. I mean, as if he'd take you to the hospital. He wouldn't so much as piss on you if you were on fire. None of them would. Only two people in the whole world give a shit about you and that's me and…"

She trailed off. Joey looked stricken.

"Well, now, I think I've just caught a killer," Hayley declared.

* * *

**June 2011 (Age 29)**

Knowing Hayley would be at work and that Joey no longer had means of communication, Aden had popped round to see his friend. He'd brought junk food and DVDs with him and they'd had a rare but happy afternoon together. They'd chatted, they'd laughed, he'd spent a lot of time – as usual – trying to convince her to run away with him and leave Hayley behind... But ever since the time that she had genuinely left her and come back and Hayley had threatened that Aden would be punished if she tried again, Joey had accepted that this was the life she was stuck with now.

They were startled when the front door opened and Hayley appeared, home from work early.

"Oh, well, isn't this cosy?" she remarked.

"Nothing wrong with two mates hanging out for an afternoon," Aden snapped back.

"No, you've both really got it made, haven't you?" Hayley said. "You can keep your own hours, apparently and Joey gets to sit on her fat arse all day, pretending she's doing something useful while I earn all the money."

Aden stood up, annoyed.

"As I remember it, Joey had a good job that she loved until _you _made her give it up," he said, jabbing his index finger in her direction.

She immediately squared up to him.

"That's not how it was at it, was it, sweetie?" she asked Joey, nodding in her direction.

The affectionate terminology just didn't sound right at all. Her eyes blazed when Joey failed to respond quickly enough.

"I volunteered to…" she faltered.

"Oh, just shut the fuck up," Hayley snapped. "And you can get the hell out of my house. We don't want you here."

"I'm glad we regard each other with the same level of hatred," Aden said, not moving.

"I regard you as a cancer," Hayley said. "And I can't wait to surgically remove you."

"I couldn't have described you in a better way," Aden replied.

Joey remained almost frozen on the sofa. She had no idea what to do.

"The only difference is that _I'm _the one that she's going to stay with," Hayley said. "The one she belongs to. You… you're nothing. The sooner you work that out, the better."

"I don't know why she puts up with you," Aden admitted. "But I cannot wait for the day that the scales fall off and she finally kicks you to the curb."

He turned and smiled kindly at Joey.

"I'll see you soon, okay?" he said.

Joey nodded. He left, not realising that he was abandoning his best friend to a severe battering.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

"No!" Joey begged. "No, Hayley! Please don't!"

She hurried out of the house as her girlfriend made her way back out to her car. She made a grab for her hand but was shaken off abruptly.

"Stay where you are," Hayley demanded. "I'm going to the police."

Realising she had an opportunity, Joey nodded quietly and shrank back, eagerly to play her usual role. Unfortunately, Hayley realised what she was doing before she had even formulated her plan.

"Oh, no you don't," she said.

Then she dragged her back into the house.

* * *

**September 1999 (Age 17)**

Charlie put her arm around Shannon, who was trying not to look as dejected as she felt as she watched new couple, Shane and Angel frolic in the sea just ahead of them. They, along with Blake, Sophie, little Tamara, Damian, Fin and a very reluctant Jack, had opted to spend their afternoon on the beach together.

Jack had found himself in a lot of trouble, hanging out with the River Boys from the next town over so Pippa and Michael had demanded that he spend his free time with his siblings so that he avoided getting into scrapes. The last thing they wanted was to start getting calls from the police.

"You know you're going to meet someone amazing one day," Charlie said.

Shannon leant her head on her sister's shoulder.

"When?" she asked.

She was still nursing a broken heart after her ex-boyfriend, Curtis and her friend, Selina, had got together. She relied on this group of friends more than ever now, and Charlie suspected that her crush on Shane had more to do with her other pain than anything else.

"Soon," Charlie promised. "And it'll be someone wonderful."

The very next day, a temporary English teacher started at the school, a writer named Mandy. She immediately stole Shannon's heart.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Charlie was just about to leave work for the night, late as usual, when she came face to face with an irate looking blonde woman.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"My name's Hayley O'Connor," the woman said, looking Charlie directly in the eye. "I'm Darryl, Heath and Cheryl Braxton's lawyer and I also know the identity of the person who murdered Robert Cruze. You need to send out a police car to this address."

She thrust a piece of paper into Charlie's hand.

"And bring in Aden Jeffries before he runs off like the coward he is," she said. "Or before someone warns him that I've found him out."

* * *

_Next time… Brax and Hayley come face to face and Charlie has no choice but to arrest Aden…_


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty Six**

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Despite Charlie's immediate hatred of Hayley, knowing far more about her than she suspected, the police officer knew she had to follow the lead she had been given. Therefore, she and Nick, with Angelo and Watson as back up, were charging down to the address they had been given, to arrest a man called Aden Jeffries on suspicion of the murder of Robert Cruze. Charlie couldn't help but wonder who he was and how he fitted into such a confusing puzzle.

* * *

Back at the police station, Hayley had demanded to see one of her clients, Brax, in private. They had been set up in an interview room to talk. An officer had been advised to hover outside and that if he caught any of what was being said, then all the better.

"About time," Brax barked, sitting opposite his lawyer.

"Sorry," Hayley said, actually sounding sincere. "I had to get away while the heat died down. But I think I've found the way to get you out of this."

"What, you're going to un-find drugs in my house, are you?" Brax shot back.

"Well, it's not my fault…"

"Actually it is," Brax snapped, thumping a fist on the table.

Hayley jolted, genuinely shocked by his aggression. She had never known him to be angry with her before. It has always been them, united against the world.

"Because if you hadn't fucked up and somehow got Robbo killed…" he said.

"I _didn't _kill him," Hayley hissed. "Aden did."

"It doesn't matter!" Brax insisted. "It was you getting in trouble with Robbo that led Joey and Aden… Wait. Aden?"

Hayley nodded.

"How do you know that?"

"I'm very clever," Hayley said. "I worked it out."

Brax shook his head, frustrated.

"Anyway," he said. "It was your screw up that led us all to that moment. It was my association with you that turned me into a suspect and now they've uncovered our whole business. They even hauled poor Casey in for smoking a little bit of pot."  
"They've let him go though," Hayley said.

"Yes, they've let him go," Brax said. "But me and Heath and Mum are still here, aren't we? He's had to go and crash at some mate's place for the night while we're all locked up!"

"Like I said, it's not my fault," Hayley told him.

"Shut up," Brax said. "You might have worked out that puny little Aden bumped Robbo off but I'm still in a world of trouble for the drugs. The drugs that you're as much a part of as I am. So what are you going to do about it?"

"I'll fight for you," Hayley insisted. "I'll put on my lawyer hat and I'll fix it, okay? Aden can rot in jail, Joey can go back to learning her place and the rest of us can get back to normal."

She stood up, annoyed.

"Sulking really isn't a good look, you know," she added, leaving the room.

The officer hurried away just in time.

* * *

Aden was stressed and tired. He tried various TV shows but none of them were grabbing his attention. The morning Robbo had died, everything in Aden's world had changed. He still couldn't get the events of that morning out of his head. The images from the scene were burned into his memory. He suspected it always would be.

He might have hated Robbo and his horrible associates and he might not regret it in terms of saving Joey from such violence, but everything about that morning made him feel sick.

He jumped nervously when there was a loud bang on his front door. Clicking off the TV and hoping it would be Joey, preferably telling him that she had decided to abandon Hayley so they could run off somewhere new together, he stood to answer the door.

"Aden Jeffries?" the female police officer said.

She had a male officer old than her, backing her up.

"Yes," Aden said.

She flashed her badge. He was startled to recognise her name. For the first time, after all these years, he was finally meeting the real love of Joey's life. However, he doubted the circumstances would turn out to be good.

"I'm Senior Constable Charlie Buckton and this is my colleague, Sergeant Nick Parrish," Charlie told him. "I'm afraid you'll need to come down to the station with us."

"Why?" Aden asked, although he feared he already knew.

"I'm arresting you on suspicion of the murder of Robert Cruze," she replied.

* * *

Joey was in tears with physical and emotional pain. In a bid to prevent her from warning Aden, Hayley had tied her to the radiator. She had thrown in a few hefty punches during their struggle. Now, Joey's wrists were sore from pulling on the bathrobe cord she had been frustratingly well tied up with. Unfortunately, she had only made the cord tighter, cutting off her circulation. She could barely feel either of her hands now.

"Fuck!" she cried out in frustration.

She ignored the pain of her wrist cracking as she made one last ditch attempt to wriggle out from captivity. For a moment, she was too surprised by her own success to move. Then she leapt up, still ignoring the pain and bounded straight for the front door. With no means to make a phone call, it was a race against time to track Aden down and warn him. Her attempts were thwarted the moment she ran into Hayley on the drive.

"Oh no, you don't," her girlfriend said.

She grabbed her bad wrist and yanked her back into the house, locking it up behind her.

* * *

_Next time… Younger Charlie and Joey make plans for the future while adult Aden tells the truth about what happened to Robbo…_


	27. Chapter 27

_Sorry for the lack of update yesterday. Thursday are always a bit hectic at the moment. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

**December 1997 (Age 15)**

Charlie and Joey walked through the park hand in hand, enjoying the closing sunshine as the evening began to draw in.

"Do you think we'll get married one day?" Joey mused.

"Why?" Charlie grinned. "Are you asking?"

Joey stopped walking, choosing between embarrassment and boldness. She turned and faced her girlfriend.

"Yes, I am," she decided.

"Then yes, I'd love to get married one day," Charlie accepted.

They fell into each other's arms, kissing tenderly and hoping that every day would be just like this one.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

"Yes, I killed him."

Charlie glanced at Nick in genuinely surprised. The two officers were sat across the table from their suspect, Aden Jeffries, who looked pale and tired, like he hadn't slept in days. She hadn't expected the confession to be so easy, not when they had been struggling to find the truth for so long. They'd been chasing their tails for nearly a week and suddenly it had all landed in their laps.

"You killed Robert Cruze?" Charlie clarified.

Aden nodded.

"For the tape," she nudged.

"Yes," Aden said. "I killed Robert Cruze."

"How did you kill him?" Nick asked.

"I hit him over the head with a vase," Aden explained. "He was trying to rape my best friend."

"And who's your best friend?" Charlie asked, although she already knew the answer.

"Joey Collins," Aden said.

Charlie wondered if he knew who she was and of her own connection to Joey.

"Okay," Nick said, aware that his colleague would find all of this difficult. "Why don't you take us through all of this step by step?"

Aden sighed and nodded. His palms were sweating, although he knew it would all come down to this at some point. He'd known when he had made the decision to attack Robbo, not that he had put much thought into it. All he had wanted right then was to protect Joey, the person he loved more than anything.

"I don't know where to start," he said.

"The beginning usually helps," Nick told him, but not sarcastically.

"The beginning starts fifteen years ago," Aden replied.

Nick nodded patiently.

"Then start there," he said. "We've got time."

Aden swallowed and took a couple of breaths. He looked at Charlie, who looked concerned but kind and ready to listen.

"Joey and I were in the same children's home," he explained, still looking at Charlie.

The police officer could tell immediately that he knew the full story about her then. She could see it in his eyes.

"She was there already when I arrived," he said. "I immediately got picked on and she rescued me."

Charlie nodded, very aware of that particularly scenario.

"That's what she was like, you know? Always trying to save people, help them?"

Charlie nodded again. So did Nick. He didn't know the girl but he was familiar with how Charlie had described her and with her history as a police officer.

"We stayed friends all this time," Aden explained. "We lived together, supported each other, looked out for each other. She was always better than me though, took care of me and that. Until she met her girlfriend, Hayley."

Nick consulted his notes.

"Do you mean Hayley O'Connor, the Braxtons' lawyer?" he asked.

Aden nodded, his eyes narrow and cold. He knew Joey would probably hate him for his next words but if he was going down, he may as well go down in flames. And he may as well try and take out as many people as he could. He couldn't save himself now but he could still try and save his friend.

"She's evil," he said. "She's been abusing Joey for years – physically and mentally. I've seen it happen time and again. I don't have any idea what kind of hold she has over her and I don't know to even begin to understand it but it's there. It's insane. Joey's tried to leave her a few times but she's always gone crawling back for some reason."

Charlie's recent conversations with Joey echoed in her mind. She nodded quietly, trying to stay professional.

"Hayley and her cronies – Brax and Heath and Robbo – are all caught up with loads of stuff. Joey and I aren't involved but they're up to their necks in it."

"What kind of stuff, Aden?" Charlie asked.

"Drugs," Aden said. "I wouldn't be surprised if there was more but I couldn't prove it. I know about the drugs though. I think that's how all of this happened. How… how I ended up…"

He looked down, studying the desktop hard.

"I didn't mean to kill him," he said, a sob escaping his lips.

He sat up straighter and rubbed his eyes, taking a couple of breaths.

"I don't care that he's dead," he said seriously.

Charlie winced. That was the very worst thing to say when one was being interview for murder.

"He was a monster," Aden explained. "He was a criminal. He was always bashing people around, getting people hooked on drugs. I've seen it with my own eyes. And he was raping Joey. What was I meant to do? I didn't mean to kill him. I just wanted to stop him hurting her. I just wanted to stop him…"

"So, what _did _you do, Aden?" Charlie asked.

"I grabbed the first thing I could find," he said, the words sticking in his throat. "It was a vase on a side table. I just grabbed it and smashed him over the head. He collapsed. I grabbed Joey and left."

Charlie swallowed. This was the bit she didn't like. Sensing it, Nick leant forward and took the lead.

"I need you to take us through all of this step by step," he said. "Every single thing you did, okay?"

"Why?" Aden asked, tears forming in his eyes again.

"We need to know exactly what happened, from start to finish," Nick told him.

"So you can bang me up for as many years as possible?" Aden accused.

"So that we can get the clearest picture we can," Nick said. "If this really was an accident and you didn't mean to kill this man then we need to establish that in order to make that clear in court."

Aden looked dubious but nodded.

"So, how did you know Ms Collins was in trouble in the first place?" Nick asked.

* * *

_Earlier That Month…_

Aden left Hayley and Joey's house feeling anxious and concerned. He shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked down the street, the sun glinting down on the cars parked on the sides of the road.

He'd come to visit his friend, expecting her girlfriend to be out at work. Instead, Hayley had been coming down from a high. She'd looked a mess and been all over the place. She hadn't been making any sense and had been rambling. Aden had wanted to know where Joey was and Hayley had told him that she was out, which in itself didn't make any sense. Hayley never let Joey out of her sight unless she was at work and didn't have much control over where she was. Even then, Joey was still careful to do as she was told and not step out of line.

But then, just as he'd given up and was about to leave, Hayley had mentioned something about Joey 'settling a debt' for her. So now, his head was spinning and he was desperately worried that his best friend was in danger. Of course, she had no phone for him to contact her on. Hayley had removed her mobile a long time ago. He considered phoning the police but he doubted they would know where to start, or that anyone – including Joey – would forgive him that either. So now, he didn't know what to do.

He wracked his brains, trying to figure out what 'settling a debt' could mean. He cursed himself for not being the smart one out of him and Joey. He presumed the debt was something to do with Hayley's 'little problem', the one she was finding it harder and harder to hide these days. He thought about the circle she mixed with – namely the Braxtons.

Aden had been out, somewhat reluctantly with them and Joey the other night. He tried to recall if there had been any new faces, anyone sinister that could be involved with this.

"Nobody new, as such…" he mused. "But sinister. And I know where he lives."

Taking his hands out of his pockets, he bolted into a run.

* * *

Aden arrived at Robbo's house, having attended a horrible house party there a month beforehand that both he and Joey had hated, in ten minutes flat. He could hardly breathe by the time he arrived but he didn't pause to refill his lungs. He burst through the front door, which thankfully hadn't been shut quite properly.

The scene that greeted him made him want to throw up. His best friend in all the world was pinned to the floor in sheer panic, desperately trying to fight off Robbo Cruze, who was, without a doubt, trying to force himself on her. Just at that moment, before either of them had registered his presence, Robbo slammed Joey hard onto the hardwood floor to stop her fighting him. She passed out.

Again, without pausing to think anything through, Aden lurched forward. He grabbed an empty vase from a low coffee table and smacked Robbo over the head with it. The vase cracked and Robbo fell forward, collapsing on top of Joey.

Aden hurried forward and pulled Robbo off of Joey. He slumped into a heap on the floor. Aden hesitated, panic surging within him as he tried to decide whether to get help for the rapist. He looked at Joey, so broken on the floor.

"No," he said, his voice catching.

All he cared about was his best friend. He leant forward and scooped her up, carrying her in his arms, all the way to the hospital.

* * *

_Next time… Aden takes the consequences while someone else tries to change…_


	28. Chapter 28

_Apologies for my absence yesterday. I thought I would get time to update but I didn't. I will be updating tomorrow and I will try on Friday but I might not manage. I won't be updating over the weekend but I will be back on Monday. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

**June 2012 (Age 2013)**

"Hayley, I need to go to the hospital," Joey said quietly.

She was sat in the corner of the sofa in agony. But more than that, she needed to find some way to get to Aden. She didn't know what was going on exactly but it didn't take a genius to work out that he had been involved in Robbo's death somehow. And he was involved because of her. Therefore, it was her fault, her responsibility. And if she could help him, she had to. He had spent their adult lives trying to protect her, trying to save her and it now might have cost him dearly.

"You'll be fine," Hayley said. "You've been hurt worse than that before."

"Look!" Joey snapped.

She wiggled her very broken wrist.

"Do you really want this to get worse?" she demanded. "Make people ask even more questions?"

Hayley glared at her, weighing up her options and wondering when her girlfriend had suddenly developed a backbone.

"Fine," she snapped. "Let me at least get changed first. From the second I got home you've caused nothing but hassle, Joey."

"Fine," Joey replied.

She trudged up the stairs after her.

* * *

Charlie and Nick were still sat opposite Aden and nobody in the room was very happy.

"Do you have a lawyer, Aden?" Charlie asked.

"No," the blonde boy replied glumly. "The only lawyer I know is the whole reason I'm here. She won't help."

Charlie nodded. She was desperate to help in some way but she couldn't think how.

"The fact that you've co-operated so fully will go in your favour," Nick put in. "And we'll testify to that."

Aden nodded and thanked him.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I never meant any of this to happen. I was just trying to protect my friend."

* * *

Joey seized her moment before she had realised it was there. One minute, she had rounded the stairs and the next moment, Hayley was on the floor, tied the bannister she herself had been bound to only hours before.

"Joey!" Hayley screamed. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"What I should have a long time ago," Joey told her.

Without any clear plan, Joey ran back down the stairs and out of the house.

* * *

**February 1998 (Age 16)**

Joey walked down the school corridor, grateful that it was lunch time. She had expected to be devastatingly lonely all year and to a degree, she was, but her new friend, Aden, was most definitely making it easier to bear.

"Uh oh," she murmured to herself when she spotted him up ahead.

She broke into a run as she spotted him getting shoved around by some older boys. Dropping her books, she barged her way in between her vulnerable friend and the biggest school bully, just as he had lifted his fist for a punch.

"Why do you have to always get in the fucking way?" the boy snapped.

"Because it's so much fun," she replied, offering her most charming smile.

He snarled at her a stormed off, warning Aden that he wasn't off the hook. Joey sighed and then turned to check on her friend.

"Are you okay?"

"Nothing my bodyguard can't fix," Aden said unhappily.

"I'm sure you'll owe me one day," Joey grinned.

"Yeah, right," Aden said. "You'll always be the better one. I'll always be useless."

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

"Are one of you bastards going to let me out of here at some point?" Heath snapped, when Charlie led Aden into the custody cells round the back of the police station.

"Keep quiet," she snapped back.

He glared at her and then smirked when he realised that Aden was following her into the cell next door.

"Well, well," he said. "Has someone been a bad boy?"

"I'm really sorry there's nowhere else to put you," Charlie told Aden quietly. "But we'll be helping you with your bail plea in the morning."

Aden nodded and sank down on the bench at the back of the cell, hoping against hope that he could pass through the night blocking the Braxton family out. Charlie sighed and locked him up.

* * *

Joey paused en route to Aden's house when she spotted a payphone. Grateful for the change in her pocket, she dialled her friend's number, hoping he would pick up. He didn't. She hesitated, debating making the rest of the journey. But she was all too aware of having Charlie's card in the pocket. All she had to do was call. All she had to do was trust her.

But would she get Aden into more trouble? Would she hurt him by trying to help him? It wasn't like she was being very effective trying to handle everything by herself. But she was terrified of getting everything wrong.

* * *

"So, I hear your mate was innocent, after all," Angelo commented, when Charlie arrived in reception.

It was hopefully the end of a yet another very long night. Everyone was exhausted and eager to go home.

"I told you," Charlie said, still annoyed by how he had been but too tired to have too much fight in her voice.

They were interrupted by Charlie's mobile ringing.

"Charlie Buckton," she said to the unknown number.

"It's Joey," came a desperate voice. "I need your help."

* * *

_Next time… teenage Joey takes action and adult Joey finally gets help…_


	29. Chapter 29

_Hi everyone. Sincere apologies for disappearing on you. Everything just got a bit hectic and I haven't had the time or the energy to update. But normal service should resume at least for the next couple of weeks. I hope you enjoy the chapter. This one is particularly for Jensy25, as I know she likes this story. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

**March 1998 (Age 16)**

Joey was sick to death of watching Aden getting shoved around and hassled. She wasn't sure what it was that made people think they had the right to treat her friend like dirt but she was adamant that it was to stop now. And she was hoping her plan for how was going to work.

"Hey, what are we doing for lunch?" Aden asked.

"Um… I have some study stuff to do but I'll meet you back in class, okay?" Joey said.

She hated the look of disappointment on his face but she hoped he would one day understand that it was for his own good.

"I could help you…" he offered.

She raised an eyebrow.

"You always distract me!" she pointed out.

"So?" he complained.

"It's just a quick thing I have to fix and then you'll have my undivided attention, I promise," she said.

He headed off, grumbling all the way.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

"Joey, calm down," Charlie said into the phone. "Where are you?"

"I'm in a phone box on Portland Drive," Joey said breathlessly. "I'm in trouble. Well, my friend is. I… I can't find him. I'm scared."

Charlie glanced anxiously at Watson, who was hovering nearby.

"Look, I'll come and get you, okay?" Charlie said. "Just sit tight."

"No, you need to find my friend," Joey begged. "His name's…"

"Aden Jeffries?" Charlie asked.

Joey stopped short.

"How do you…?"

"He's already here, Joey," Charlie said gently. "We know what happened, that he killed Robert Cruze."

Joey felt sick. She rested one hand against the side of the phone box and gripped the receiver tightly with the other hand as she felt her body begin to sway.

"Have you arrested him?" she asked quietly.

"We didn't have a choice," Charlie replied, just as quietly. "But he's co-operating and we're really trying to help him as best we can, Joey. We know it was an accident."

Joey swallowed, choking back tears.

"Please wait for me, Joey," Charlie said, already heading out of the police station. "I'll come and collect you, okay?"

"Okay," Joey whispered.

She had nowhere else to go.

* * *

**March 1998 (Age 16)**

_Bingo_, Joey thought to herself. She had been keeping a close eye on Steve, the leader of the most notorious bully gang of the school for a few weeks now and she thought she had figured out what he was up to. And with the camera she had stolen from the children's home, she hoped to capture all the evidence she needed. Then, she would confront him and blackmail him into leaving Aden alone for good. That was, of course, providing she didn't get caught and fall into serious trouble herself. But it was a risk she was willing to take. Aden was worth it.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Charlie broke the speed limit getting to Joey but she didn't care. She flew out of her car and to the phone box, where she found her, fragile, distressed and waiting. Charlie gathered her former girlfriend into her arms, holding her close and kissing the top of her head.

"It's okay," she whispered.

"It's not," Joey protested. "How can it be okay if you've arrested Aden for murder?"

"Alright, that bit's not okay but honestly, we'll go as easy as we can," Charlie tried to assure her. "We're applying for bail for him tomorrow and if we can get it knocked down to manslaughter, we will. Now we've heard the whole story, we'll do whatever we can to help."

"What is the full story?" Joey asked.

"Let me take you to the hospital first, okay?" Charlie requested, noting her broken wrist.

Joey nodded and then hesitated.

"I need to tell you something first," she admitted.

"What's that?"

* * *

Watson and Angelo were still at the police station, debating their next move.

"Well, she just rushed out of here," Angelo said. "Are we meant to wait for her, go home, what? We've finished our shift, caught the bad guy… But Charlie's rushed off to her damsel in distress and we're stuck here like morons."

"Well, if you want to call _yourself _a moron…" Watson remarked.

Angelo was about to protest but Watson's mobile rang.

"Hello?" she said.

It was Charlie.

"Sorry, what?"

"I need a favour," her housemate requested. "Can you and Angelo go to Joey's address and release Hayley?"

"Release Hayley?"

Angelo immediately began to eavesdrop.

"The only way Joey could get out of the house was to tie her up," Charlie explained. "I'll add that she used the restraints that Hayley used on her earlier this evening and that I now have to take Joey to the hospital to fix a broken wrist."

"Could this situation get anymore fucked up?" Watson wondered.

"I hope not," Charlie remarked. "Can you go to the house?"

"Consider it done," Watson said.

* * *

**March 1998 (Age 16)**

Joey had spent her lunch time following Steve around and so far, it was going well, although between her ability to steal from the home and her craftiness in surveillance, she was torn between a career in criminality and police work. Just the thought of the police made her think of Charlie.

Forcing herself to focus, she continued to follow Steve, snapping pictures of him dealing drugs to willing and sometimes unwilling victims in the local area. He was covert about it, suggesting he had made quite a career of it over the years but she thought she had developed quite a portfolio. Now, all she had to do was get the pictures developed and confront him. Then he'd have no choice but to stay away from Aden.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Watson and Angelo had no option but to break into Hayley and Joey's house, knowing that the owner was unlikely to be in a position to let them in. All the way over, Angelo had been exasperated over the whole thing, which had made Watson wanted to stop the car and throw him out of it.

"Hello?" Watson called out. "Police!"

"I'm up here!" Hayley called out from the top of the stairs.

She'd been struggling with her restraints without much success ever since Joey had locked her up. It had, however, inflamed her fury and she had declared several times over the past hour or so that there would be someone joining Robbo in the mortuary soon.

"Hurry up!" she demanded.

Watson and Angelo both grimaced as they headed up the stairs and untied Hayley from where she had been held against her will.

"Where the fuck is Joey?" Hayley wanted to know.

"She's at the hospital," Angelo informed her.

Watson glared at him. She doesn't this woman really needed to know that.

"Right…" Hayley said, all set to go and find her.

"First thing's first," Watson said, getting in her way. "Hayley O'Connor, I'm arresting you on suspicion of false imprisonment."

* * *

**March 1998 (Age 16)**

"Jo, where have you been all day?" Aden asked.

His friend had disappeared at lunch time and not shown up for their next class. Now, they were sitting in English, to which she had been late and narrowly avoided getting into trouble with their teacher.

"I've been on a mission," was all Joey would say.

Aden looked confused.

"What kind of mission?" he asked.

"Look, don't worry about it," Joey said dismissively. "I'll explain it to you later."

Aden was worried. They hadn't been friends for all that long but he knew what she was like when she was about to get herself into trouble. And he really didn't want her to do that.

* * *

After school, Joey ducked out of Aden's sight before he had the chance to miss her. She followed Steve behind the building, where she knew he would be waiting for his 'clients' and immediately caught his attention.

"What do you want, Collins?" he asked gruffly.

"I want you to leave Aden alone," Joey told him, getting right to the point.

"And why would I do that when duffing him up is the highlight of my day?" he sneered.

"Because if you don't, your criminal little operation is going to find its way to the police," she informed him.

He folded his arms over his chest.

"And why would the cops listen to the word of some bitch in care?" he asked.

"Because this bitch has been following you around all day taking photos," she said. "Care to take a look? I hope I got your best side."

She handed over some prints. He snatched them out of her hands and flicked angrily through them.

"What the fuck, Collins?" he yelled, dropping the pictures and grabbing her.

She refused to flinch as he slammed her against the wall behind her. This was no time to show fear.

"You can carry on your skanky little business without any hassle from me if you leave Aden alone," she told him. "If you don't, I'm going right to the police."

"You really think you can intimidate me?" he balked. "You've given me the dam pictures!"

He laughed in her face, still holding her in place.

"I gave you a _copy _of the pictures," she said. "Which you've now dropped for anyone to find."

He let her go. She fell to the floor, thankfully landing on her feet and watched him hurriedly gather the pictures up, looking at them properly this time.

"You'll shut up about this if I leave the geek alone?" he checked.

"My lips are sealed," she promised.

He studied her and then grabbed her by the throat, catching her by surprised. He slammed her against the wall so hard that she hit the back of her head. The wind was knocked out of her, as he punched her in the stomach and then slapped her face.

"I'll do worse to you both if you dare," he warned.

He dropped her again. This time, she fell badly but she felt it was all worth it if it meant Aden's life would be happier.

* * *

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

"Sorry, you're arresting _me _for false imprisonment?" Hayley exclaimed. "You realise you just released me from being tied up, don't you, or are you as stupid as you look?"

"We have reason to believe that you tied your girlfriend up first," Watson explained, leading her to the police car outside.

"Have you never heard of kinky sex games?" Hayley remarked, reluctantly climbing into the backseat.

Angelo tried not to react to Watson's discomfort.

"I think we all know that's not what's going on here," was all the female officer said, as she drove them all to the police station.

* * *

Charlie sat by Joey's side at the hospital, waiting for Flynn to treat her injuries.

"Is he okay though?" Joey fretted.

Charlie reached out and held her hand.

"He's as okay as possible," she assured her. "And I do promise we'll do our best for him, Joey. We know it was an accident and he didn't mean to kill him. He was just trying to save you."

Joey broke down in tears. Charlie gathered her into her arms as she wept. She was comforted only by the hope that perhaps this could be the end of Joey's imprisoned life now. With Hayley arrested and the truth about her abuse out now, Joey would surely have to leave her, step away and start again. Then maybe there was a chance for them to be in each other's lives again. Charlie could do whatever she could to get Aden the lightest sentence possible. And then they could all be happy…

* * *

_Next time… Charlie takes care of Joey…_


	30. Chapter 30

_Just in case people don't know, nobody is obliged to read this or anything. If you enjoy it, that's wonderful and I'm really happy. Thank you. If you don't enjoy it, I'm sure there are more pressing things you could be getting on with. Just saying. Have a nice day! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Thirty**

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Joey's wrist had been strapped up and Charlie had not left her side. The broken woman lay back upon the bed, overcome with exhaustion.

"What happens now?" she asked tiredly.

"Now, you get a good night's sleep," Charlie said. "And then we deal with everything else in the morning. There's nothing that can't wait."

"What about Aden?" Joey fretted.

"There's nothing more we can do for him right at this moment," Charlie said as gently as possible. "We've made him as comfortable as possible and there'll be a bail hearing in the morning. Nick, my superior is speaking up for him and so am I so hopefully he won't have to spend the time up to his trial behind bars. We really are doing our best for him, Joey."

Joey opened her eyes and looked at Charlie, seeing the sincerity in her face.

"I know you are," she said.

"Will you please stay at mine tonight?" Charlie asked. "We've arrested Hayley but I don't know if the charges are strong enough to keep her in and I want to keep you safe."

Joey nodded quietly. She was too tired to fight anymore. She was finally in a place that she didn't feel afraid. She wanted to stay there.

* * *

An hour and a half later, Charlie arrived home with Joey. It felt strange but it felt familiar all at the same time, which in turn felt ever so strange.

"You can take my room and I'll set up the air bed on the lounge floor," Charlie said.

Joey held onto her urgently.

"Please don't leave me," she said.

Now that she had her near, she didn't want her to go away again.

"Okay," Charlie said softly. "I'll set it up in my room. I'll stay close."

They smiled softly at each other and continued up the stairs. At the top, they turned right into Charlie's room.

"Sorry it's a bit messy," Charlie apologised. "It's all been a bit hectic these last few days."

Joey nodded.

"Sorry," she said. "I guess I've kept you pretty busy."

Charlie turned to her and held onto both of her hands, careful of her injuries. She looked deeply into her eyes.

"You don't need to apologise to me," she said. "You never, ever have to apologise, Joey. None of this is your fault."

"Charlie, _all _of it is my fault," she said.

A tear escaped her eye.

"If it wasn't for me, none of this would have happened," she said. "Aden was just trying to protect me. He's not a killer, Charlie. It's not in him to do this. It was only because…"

"I know," Charlie said gently.

She pulled her former girlfriend into a hug. She held her tightly and kissed the top of her head. Joey held on for all she was worth.

"He didn't mean it, Charlie," Joey sobbed. "It's all my fault."

"I know he didn't mean it," Charlie said. "But it's still not your fault. You didn't _make _him do what he did. And it wasn't your fault that you were in that position in the first place. Joey, all of this comes down to that horrible woman. It's all Hayley's fault. And Robbo's. And Brax and Heath and anyone else that those people are mixed up with."

Joey drew away slightly in order to look at Charlie.

"It's my fault that I stayed with her," she stated.

"I don't profess to understand why you did but I'm sure you had your reasons," Charlie said.

Joey nodded and chewed her lip. She _had _had her reasons. It all spun in dizzying roundabouts. She'd stayed because Hayley had threatened Aden. And now Aden was facing jail trying to protect her. It was so ironic that Alanis Morissette could have rewritten her song.

"I've fucked everything up," she said unhappily. "Every decision I've made for the last decade has been the wrong one, Charlie."

The police officer moved them to sit on the side of the bed.

"Well, let's both start making good decisions now then," she suggested.

Joey sighed and leant against her. Charlie hugged her, desperately hoping that this could now be a new chapter for both of them.

After a moment, she heard voices downstairs, signalling that Angelo and Watson were both home.

"That's my housemates both home," she said. "I'll get you some pyjamas and stuff so you can get ready for bed. And I'll give you some privacy while I let them know you're here."

Joey sat back up and thanked her. She watched Charlie rummage in drawers to get clothes and a towel.

"I think I have a spare toothbrush too," she said. "I'll bring it when I come back up."

Joey smiled and thanked her. Charlie smiled back, trying not to feeling inappropriately tingly at being close to Joey again, and dashed out of the room and back downstairs.

* * *

"I swear I need a holiday when this case is done," Angelo complained, flopping down on the sofa and groaning loudly.

He rubbed his temples, exhausted from the day. Watson sat more delicately in an armchair.

"At least it should be done soon," she said. "We've got the killer."

"But it looks like we're going as easy as possible on him," Angelo grumbled.

"That's because it's not as cut and dried as we first thought it was," Charlie said, trotting down the stairs.

Angelo jerked back up. Charlie perched on the other end of the sofa.

"I didn't realise you were home," he managed a little guiltily. "I thought you were still at the hospital with that girl."

"That girl is upstairs," Charlie admitted.

"What?" Angelo shrieked, sounding rather like a girl himself. "You can't do that!"

"I cleared it with Nick," Charlie said dismissively. "I'm not stupid."

She was more inclined to talk to Watson than Angelo these days. Her one time fling was being decidedly awkward at the moment.

"You're not being very clear headed at the moment, Charlie, if you don't mind me saying," Angelo said rather sourly.

"I do mind you saying," she informed him.

"She's a suspect in a case and you're having a pyjama party with her?" Angelo shot back.

"We've already found the killer," Charlie pointed out.

"Okay, she _was _a suspect," he said. "And the real killer was her best mate. She's dodgy, Charlie. I don't want her spending the night."

"Well, I do," Charlie said. "We need to protect her from her girlfriend. We need to save her."

Angelo rolled his eyes. Charlie turned to Watson and asked her rather quiet friend for her opinion.

"I think Charlie's right," Watson decided.

Charlie was more than relieved. Angelo wasn't.

"We had to let Hayley go, at least temporarily," Watson reminded him. "Joey wouldn't be safe out there on her own. The best case scenario would be that they'd get back together and she'd be trapped in a life of misery until the next big incident crops up and someone else dies. If we can protect her, we should. Plus, Charlie has a connection to her. Even without it being a police matter, they're old friends. We can't let her down."

"Thank you," Charlie said sincerely.

The two women smiled at each other. Angelo rolled his eyes.

"This is ridiculous," he said. "I'm going to bed. Make sure she doesn't axe murder me in my sleep or anything."

He headed off to his room.

* * *

Back upstairs, Joey was perched on the edge of the bed, waiting for Charlie to return. She had heard the discussion going on beneath her and she felt uncomfortable. Although she was touched that Charlie had defended her so strongly, she felt bad that she had had to. She didn't want to make her life difficult or to cause her to struggle in any way.

"Hey," Charlie greeted softly, re-entering the room. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," Joey said. "Listen, are you sure it's okay that I stay here? I really don't want to impose."

Charlie came to sit beside her on the bed again.

"Joey, do you have any idea how long I've waited to have you back in my life again?" she asked. "I'm not about to send you on your way now."

"I guess you've been waiting as long as I have," Joey said wistfully.

The two women smiled longingly at each other. All Charlie wanted to do was lean in and kiss her. Every fibre in her being was telling her just to close the gap between them and touch those soft, beautiful lips. But she was afraid of taking advantage, of pushing the boundaries when she was in such a vulnerable position already. Joey had been through so much and suffered at the hands of too many people demanding too much of her. Charlie didn't want to be yet another person to hurt her.

"I've missed you so much, Charlie," Joey said. "Every day, every night… I've dreamt of what could have been…"

"Me too," Charlie confessed. "It's like there's been a gaping hole in my life… like everything's been on hold, waiting for you to come back…"

Joey leant in and kissed her.

* * *

_Next time… Charlie and Joey spend the night in each other's arms…_


	31. Chapter 31

_Just to let you know, I'll be updating tomorrow and then not again until Monday, as I'm Maid of Honour as my friend's wedding so I'll be away for a bit with the preparation and recovery. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Thirty One**

**June 2012 (Age 30)**

Charlie closed her eyes. Her heart danced as she felt Joey's lips press gently against hers. A small voice in her head told her to pull away and not to take advantage of a vulnerable woman who had been through so much. But she couldn't help it. For so many years, she had longed to have Joey back in her arms, to feel her mouth against hers. And now she was here, they were doing just that. She couldn't even begin to tear herself away.

They drew part, slowly and reluctantly, neither of them really wanting to part. They moved together for one more kiss before falling into a hug.

"I've missed being this close to you," Charlie whispered. "Please don't ever go away again."

Joey held on tighter, keeping her eyes shut and holding her breath.

"Do you think Aden will get bail?" she asked when she eventually let her go.

"I'm hoping so," Charlie said. "Nick will definitely stand up for him and say that we have no reason to think he'll harm anyone else. There'll be strict guidelines about reporting to us and everything and we'll keep a close eye on him but hopefully he has a chance."

There was a distinct light in Joey's eyes that hadn't been there before.

"But I don't want to give you false hope," the police officer added. "We're looking at a murder or manslaughter charge here. Those cases don't often get bail."

"When will we know if it's murder or manslaughter?" Joey asked.

"Well, we had to charge him with murder," Charlie explained. "But his legal team might be able to get it knocked down. Again, we can put a good word in and try to help his case."

Joey nodded. The light dimmed.

"And what will happen to the others?" she asked. "To Hayley and Brax and everyone?"

"Well, there are all sorts of charges against Brax and Heath," Charlie explained. "We found drugs all over their house – too much for recreational use. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to pin any of it on Hayley yet but we're working on it."

Joey nodded but she felt uneasy.

"We've let Casey and Cheryl go," Charlie said. "They obviously weren't involved in anything."

Joey nodded again.

"And we arrested Hayley for false imprisonment for what she did to you tonight and we did charge her," Charlie explained. "We couldn't keep her in custody but well, what we do with her next is up to you really, Joey."

The darker haired girl looked up fearfully at her.

"What do you mean?" she asked, even though she knew the answer already.

"Do you want to press charges for all the abuse you've suffered at Hayley's hands, Joey?" Charlie asked.

Joey swallowed uncertainly.

"I… don't… I mean…"

She sighed.

"Can I sleep on it?" she asked.

Charlie forced a smile, even though she was disappointed.

"Sure," she said. "Speaking of… I should get ready and set the airbed up and everything."

She stood. Joey caught hold of her hand, looking into her eyes.

"Forget the airbed," she said.

Charlie looked startled. Joey blushed.

"I'm not propositioning you," Joey clarified. "I um… I just… Every night since we've been apart I've dreamed of holding you…"

Charlie smiled.

"Me too," she said.

Joey returned her smile.

"I'll just go and get changed," Charlie decided.

"Charlie?" Joey called, when she had reached the door. "Could I call in one last favour?"

* * *

Aden sat in his jail cell, uncomfortable and unhappy. Heath was in the cell next door, having been charged with all manner of drug offences, also awaiting a bail hearing in the morning. Brax was in the next cell over, awaiting the same fate.

Sighing heavily, Aden couldn't stop thinking about Joey, wondering where and how she was. He looked up when an officer approached his cell and unlocked it, letting himself inside. He came and sat beside him on the bench.

"What's going on?" Aden asked anxiously, not sure what to expect.

"I have to be quiet," the officer, whose nametag read 'Avery' said. "But I just got a call from my Senior who asked me to pass on a message from your friend, Joey."

Aden's eyes lit up in hope.

"She's safe and well and staying with a friend," Avery said. "She's not with Hayley anymore and she's not going back. She says she loves you and that she's sorry for the position she put you in and hopes that one day you'll be able to forgive her."

Aden ignored any embarrassment he felt and burst into tears.

* * *

Charlie returned from her phone call and from getting changed into her pyjamas and found Joey still perched on the edge of the bed.

"Did you call the station?" Joey asked eagerly.

"I did," Charlie said. "And Avery just called back to confirm that he passed the message on and it was gratefully received."

Joey looked emotional. Charlie gathered her into her arms, holding her for several moments before they decided bed was calling them.

"I didn't want to get in until you said what side you slept on," Joey said.

"I like the left," Charlie said.

Joey nodded and walked round to the other side. Both women met in the middle, cuddling up close. They kissed again. Joey savoured the moment, enjoying the way Charlie's body was pressed against hers. She could detect the faint scent of Charlie's perfume still lingering on her skin.

"It's funny," she murmured. "Part of me suddenly feels like a kid again, being here with you like this."

Charlie smiled, drawing only millimetres away from her.

"And yet so much has happened to both of us, there's no possible way to go back," Joey added.

"Yeah," Charlie sighed. "It's different and the same all in one moment."

"I feel like I've been waiting for this moment all my life," Joey whispered.

Charlie snuggled up a little closer, kissing her softly again.

"Joey, you won't go back to her, will you?" she almost begged.

"Not if I can help it," Joey replied. "And I can't see any reason to have to. Not now that I know what it's really like to be free. Not now that I have you back in my life. A reason to fight. A reason to be happy."

* * *

Hayley felt like the home she shared with Joey had never felt so big and empty before. She felt lost inside it, insignificant. She'd never realised before that she cared so much about the woman she had used and abused all these years. She missed her. In her own way, she loved her. And she was utterly determined to get her back, whatever it took.

* * *

_Next time… Aden faces his bail hearing and Joey faces a decision…_


End file.
